The government is set to begin consultations with private firms on a long-term infrastructure plan, seeking to bring stability to its policies.
- The consultation aims to involve investors and businesses in developing a 10-year strategy, announced by Treasury chief Darren Jones.
- Public financing and infrastructure budgets are expected to be central in the upcoming Budget, aligning fiscal plans with strategic objectives.
- The Labour Infrastructure Forum is playing a key role, integrating industry and political insights to shape policy recommendations.
- Labour proposes merging key infrastructure bodies to ensure better delivery of projects, responding to public critiques.
The government is preparing to engage in consultations with private entities to contribute to its forthcoming 10-year infrastructure strategy. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, announced this initiative, emphasising its goal to introduce stability following a period of frequent policy changes by previous administrations. This marks a strategic move to include businesses and investors in the early stages of planning.
The consultation is anticipated to lay the ground for a major infrastructure strategy announcement, expected before the Budget on 30 October. Jones has assured that long-term infrastructure funding will be a focus in the October Budget, providing a coherent framework for future projects. He articulated that the strategy will not exist in isolation but will be intimately tied to financial planning, ensuring practical and deliverable outcomes.
The Labour Infrastructure Forum, guided by Mace’s David Hendy and consultants from Bradshaw Advisory, seeks to foster dialogue between the infrastructure sector and the Labour Party. The forum aims to put forward policy recommendations supporting the Labour manifesto, stressing the importance of collaboration in policy formation.
Key transformations proposed include the merger of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) and the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA) into the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA). This reorganisation is intended to elevate the role of these bodies, addressing past criticisms of inefficiency and lack of influence over governmental decisions.
Coinciding with these developments, recent polls by Bradshaw Advisory reveal public dissatisfaction with the current state of infrastructure project delivery in Britain, with a significant proportion of the population believing that efficiency in delivering large projects has declined in the last decade. This public sentiment underscores the necessity for the planned strategic changes, as voiced by Jones and reinforced by industry feedback.
The planned consultations and organisational reforms are set to chart a new course for UK infrastructure, aiming for improved delivery and strategic coherence.
