Civils contractors today said that the UK Government’s £725 billion ten-year infrastructure strategy will future-proof the UK and herald a step-change in life opportunities for people in all parts of the UK.
The infrastructure strategy, announced today in Parliament by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones MP, sets out how the Government plans to invest £725 billion over the next decade. Accompanying the strategy will be a pipeline of projects, to be published ahead of this summer’s parliamentary recess.
The strategy will make use of place-based business cases and targeted use of new public-private partnerships where appropriate, and includes a new £9 billion per year maintenance fund to renew Britain’s built environment.
Commenting, chief executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Alasdair Reisner said: “CECA has called for long-term certainty in infrastructure planning for years. This strategy marks a pivotal moment in turning that aspiration into a reality.
“The Government’s ambitious commitments – from a renewed focus on maintaining local infrastructure and aging assets via a new £1 billion ‘Structures Fund’, to vital new investment in nationally significant schemes like the Lower Thames Crossing – demonstrate that Government is serious about addressing long-standing infrastructure needs.
“It is only through investment in nationally significant schemes such as new nuclear energy, targeted road and rail upgrades, and pinpointing investment in maintenance where and when it is needed, that the UK economy can keep up with our competitors and deliver the quality of life that the British people deserve.
“We were supportive of the Government’s decision earlier this year to found the National Infrastructure and Service Transportation Authority (NISTA), which will lead cross-government infrastructure strategy, streamline decision-making, and help drive private investment.
NISTA will be subject to formal reviews of the progress it has made every two years, and we look forward to working with our members, their clients, and the wider supply chain to ensure that it fulfils its potential in driving momentum and allowing CECA members to deliver world-class infrastructure to the benefit of businesses and communities across the country.
“Now that the Government has set out its vision for the next infrastructure decade, industry is primed and ready to get spades in the ground on schemes that will drive economic growth, create jobs in all parts of the country, and be genuinely life-changing for the British people.”
CECA is calling for the ten-year strategy to be supported by the following priorities:
- Visible Delivery That Builds Public Confidence
Targeted investment in local and regional projects – such as the Structures Fund – must deliver early, tangible results for communities.
- Backing Jobs, Skills & Regional Growth
Procurement and delivery must support high-quality UK jobs, particularly in the North and Midlands, and expand the civil engineering skills base across England, Scotland and Wales.
- Unlocking Private Capital at Scale
CECA supports the Government’s moves to leverage stable private investment, via sources such as pension funds, and calls on the government to work with industry to ensure funds are unlocked efficiently and without delay.
- Planning and Procurement Reform
The success of the strategy must be underpinned by progress planning, smarter procurement, and implementation of best practice via reforms to HM Treasury’s spending rules that deliver dynamic change to funding streams that prioritise long-term growth in all parts of the UK.
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