Devolution Street names
The current system for changing a street name relies upon three Acts which date from the early 20th century. This mix of provisions across the country, many of which are over a century old, has led to a lack of transparency on where each Act applies. Under the available legislation, many councils can change the name of a given street unilaterally, without consulting the residents on that street.
	The Act grants a power to the Secretary of State to set out the process to secure consent on any proposed changes to a street’s name. This will be supported by regulations (which may be supplemented by statutory guidance) on the process which local authorities will be required to have regard to. Together these changes will ensure all local authorities follow the same process for changing street names and that they cannot do so without the consent of those who live on the street. The Government published a technical consultation which ran from 11 April 2022 to 22 May 2022 3 on associated changes to regulations and statutory guidance in order to create a common requirement across England for votes on proposed changes of street names. The response was published on 5 July 2022 4 .