Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted
Paragraph: 35
Prioritise investment in maintaining, renewing, and enhancing existing Strategic Road Network assets
Conclusion
The existing Strategic Road Network is ageing and requires significant renewal work in places, while many users want to see better day-to-day maintenance and upkeep of the network. Future investment should be focused on renewing older parts of the SRN and ensuring that resources are available to run the network in a way which 26 Strategic road investment better meets the needs of the drivers and industries that rely on it. The portfolios for RIS 3, RIS 4 and beyond should prioritise investment in the maintenance, renewal and resilience of existing assets over brand new projects.
Government Response Summary
The government notes the recommendation, describing its existing engagement with Sub-national Transport Bodies and National Highways' current license requirements regarding stakeholder views for investment priorities. It does not commit to prioritising maintenance and renewal over new projects in future Road Investment Strategies.
Paragraph Reference:
35
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government notes this recommendation. In developing RIS2, the STBs were engaged as important partners, whose strategies and studies provided robust information on the priorities for each part of the country. The Government recognised the aspirations of these bodies as they progressed in maturity. The National Highways licence already requires National Highways to engage with and take reasonable account of the views of local highway authorities and other relevant stakeholders with a significant stake in the long-term development of the network, of which STBs are part. As shared during the inquiry, National Highways has joint engagement action plans (JEAPs) with each STB to understand their emerging strategies and priorities for the investment on the SRN. These close working relationships continue to evolve as seen through the open and collaborative discussions for the development of RIS3 to ensure the Government understands stakeholder priorities. The Government is not currently planning to review or re-issue the licence, however, at such a time as we do, this is a specific clarification of the existing licence that could be considered.