Joined up 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy will deliver better for communities

Today’s 10-year Infrastructure Strategy, announced by the chief secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones, set out ambitions for how £725bn will be spent on the UK’s most needed infrastructure. 

Richard Risdon, executive board director and regional managing director for UK and Europe at Mott MacDonald, responded with a call to ensure the strategy is delivered in full and urged the government to become the guardian of a long-term approach to new infrastructure. 

“The government has demonstrated that it understands improving the UK's infrastructure is vital to increasing productivity and driving positive economic, social and environmental outcomes. Its belief that funding the management of existing assets is just as important as the investment in new ones, is most welcome.  

“The confirmed plans for significant investment across a wide range of sectors will help deliver a place-based approach.  

“It is critical now that the government ensures the plan is built to last and transcends politics, so future governments see through the whole 10 years. It's not just the strategy that matters though. We need government to adopt a holistic approach to encouraging people to join our sector and to develop the skills needed to design and deliver all this new infrastructure.   

“I have always been clear that the private sector will need to play an increasingly involved role in major projects. However, the industry must demonstrate confidence in its ability to deliver on the plan in order to attract the investment needed for the strategy to be successful too. 

“Responsibility for the success lies with us as an industry as the strategy will ultimately be judged on whether it delivers the expected outcomes, alongside tangible progress in how we deliver.  

“We look forward to the publication of the announced infrastructure pipeline and the increase transparency that this will give to the public about what will be built, when and where”.