Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Rejected
Mandate utility companies to share upcoming work plans earlier, improving coordination with authorities.
Recommendation
Collaboration and coordination of works between utility companies and local authorities relies on sharing information on upcoming works well in advance. There are currently no requirements on utility companies to share plans for their upcoming work with local authorities. The Department should introduce requirements for utility companies to share their plans 33 for upcoming work at the earliest opportunity, such as by making forward planning notices mandatory. The Department should keep under review how effectively this increases collaboration in practice. If it does not, the Department should develop options for tools to mandate collaboration when necessary, such as giving local authorities ability through permit conditions to enforce site-sharing. (Recommendation, Paragraph 69)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees that early information sharing is essential but does not accept the recommendation to introduce mandatory requirements for utility companies to share long-term plans, citing existing tools and commercial sensitivity concerns. It will, however, work with the sector to explore wider adoption of best practices.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government · verbatim extract
Rejected
We agree that up to date and accessible information on street works is essential for residents, businesses, and road users to plan their journeys effectively and minimise disruption. To support this, the Department for Transport streams open data from the Street Manager platform, which includes detailed information on both live and planned street works across England. This data is freely available for use by developers, local authorities, and technology providers, and is already being integrated into a range of digital services, including websites, mobile apps, and satellite navigation systems. 4 1601-HAUCUK-Common-principles-of-good-collaboration-v3.pdf We are aware over 170 organisations, developers and technology companies are actively incorporating Street Manager data into their products, helping to improve journey planning and public awareness. The Department will continue to engage with the tech sector to encourage wider use of this data. Given the strength of the existing market and the widespread uptake of Street Manager data, we do not believe there is a need for the Government to develop a separate public-facing platform. Instead, our focus will remain on ensuring the data is accurate, comprehensive, and timely so that third- party services can continue to innovate and meet the needs of users.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗