Chancellor George Osborne will today announce the launch of a new infrastructure commission at the Conservative Party conference to plan infrastructure projects – with the pledge of an extra £5 billion in the current Parliament for major schemes.
The new body will be chaired by the former Labour transport secretary Lord Adonis - Lord Adonis has resigned the Labour whip and will sit as a crossbencher in the Lords.
Civil engineering contractors have welcomed the news that the Chancellor will establish an independent infrastructure commission to help Government plan for the long term.
In its 2014 policy document, The Infrastructure Decade, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association recommended an independent commission for infrastructure, established with cross-party support, to analyse the strategic opportunities and challenges facing the UK, identify the best way to respond, and then deliver projects which are on time and on budget.
Commenting on the news that one of CECA’s key policy recommendations has been adopted by Government, CECA Chief Executive Alasdair Reisner said:
“The development of infrastructure in the UK has, historically, lacked long-term strategy.
“This has meant that large projects such as Crossrail and High Speed 1 have taken far too long to develop and build. These delays, mainly caused by a lack of political consensus, have been costly for the taxpayer and UK plc.”
“While substantial progress has been made - most notably the development of the National Infrastructure Plan – the new infrastructure commission will help Government deliver a long-term strategy to ensure the UK’s infrastructure truly meets the expectations of business and the general public.”
“It is now vital that appointments are made that reflect the wide views of the UK as a whole, to ensure that the Commission builds support across the political spectrum.”
Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Director General, Nick Baveystock, said:
“This is a bold and positive move by Government. Infrastructure must be planned for the long term and the pressing need for an independent body, as a mechanism to build political consensus, has been recognised. We look forward to working with the Commission - ICE has already convened a coalition of business, industry and academic leaders to produce an evidence based assessment of the UK’s future infrastructure needs and we hope this can feed into the work. This is about making the right strategic choices.”
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