The Conservatives were the primary winners but the Green party also picked up 88 council seats, more than doubling their previous result. While this is not a huge swing, hundreds of members are now represented by Green councillors who were not previously. This will give a jolt to many local planning decisions, and a greater sense of urgency to the need to reduce energy usage.

This is key for listed building owners, who face significant challenges in making their homes more efficient. For members who now have a more environmentally conscious councillor, or who find a Green councillor on their planning committee, engaging with them about your listed building can help to ensure that more positive planning decisions are made in the coming years.

Elsewhere, Sadiq Khan retained his London mayoralty which will likely see no change in the stalemate between Khan’s planning policy and Robert Jenrick’s use of called in decisions to overrule the Greater London Authority. While this is not necessarily positive, the tension between the two has at least maintained the status quo in London, at least preventing any additional harms.