Parliamentary debate 5/7/17: Road infrastructure

Parliamentary questions about various local roads and infrastructure projects are listed here.

Funding for local road schemes

There are now various bodies – which differ according to where one lives – which would be responsible for developing road schemes and various pots of funding that can be accessed for local transport schemes. In Mayoral Combined Authorities and London the process would be driven by the Mayor and the transport authority (e.g. Transport for Greater Manchester, Transport for London etc.).

As transport schemes are usually capital projects, the bulk of available funding comes through Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs); though local authorities would still be expected to make the case for and contribute funds to any particularly local schemes. Any scheme that one wanted to get off the ground would need a feasibility study and a business case; the likelihood of a local authority or a LEP taking up a particular scheme will probably be founded in their wider strategic and local transport plans, for which they will have done a great deal of survey and assessment work.

Local road projects usually do not involve Highways England, except where a scheme intersects or abuts onto the Strategic Road Network.

Local Enterprise Partnerships & the Growth Fund

In March 2014 all 39 LEPs submitted Strategic Economic Plans to negotiate Growth Deals, with funding awarded from the Single Local Growth Fund, created in the 2013 Spending Review. In July 2014, the government announced details of funding received by each LEP over the period 2015 – 2021. In January 2015, the government expanded the deals, with LEPs awarded a further £1 billion in total between 2016 and 2021. The 2016 Budget included the announcement that up to £1.8 billion will be allocated through a further round of Growth Deals in the course of 2016. This was confirmed in the 2016 Autumn Statement, though allocations to individual LEPs have yet to be announced. As of March 2016, £7.3 billion worth of Growth Deal funding has been allocated to LEPs.

LEPs have also been allocated money from the Growing Places Fund to be spent on infrastructure and have been given responsibility for delivering part of the EU Structural and Investment Funds for 2014-2020.

For example, the South East LEP has received Growth Deal funding for the following road projects:

• A289 Four Elms Roundabout to Medway Tunnel Journey Time & Network Improvements
• M20 Junction 4 Eastern Overbridge
• Rathmore Road Link, Gravesend
• A26 London Road / Speldhurst Road / Yew Tree Road Junction Improvement, Tunbridge Wells
• Maidstone Gyratory Bypass
• A28 Sturry Road Integrated Transport Packjage, Canterbury
• A127 Capacity Enhancements
• A414 Maldon to Chelmsford Route Based Strategy Package
• A414 Pinch Point Package (Eastwick & Fifth Avenue Dualling & Junction Improvements)
• A414 Pinch Point Package: (A414 First Avenue & Cambridge Road Junction)
• North Bexhill Access Road
• A2500 Lower Road Improvement
• A2 off-slip at Canterbury 
• A127 at Fairglen (£6.235m)
• M11 jn8 improvements

Road Investment Strategy

The Government published the National Infrastructure Plan in October 2010. It is regularly updated.  Since 2014 the roads strand of the NIP has been aligned with the more detailed Roads Investment Strategy (RIS).

A map showing the various commitments (followed by a table listing the schemes by name) is available here.

In March 2016 the Government provided an update of progress for the various schemes in London and the South East, as follows:

These projects are at various levels of maturity. Schemes which are now open to traffic and schemes in development/construction are shown below, with the actual out-turn cost and latest approved estimate respectively:

The Lower Thames Crossing has a current estimate of £4,300m to £5,900m.

The A21 Tonbridge to Pembury dualling is due to be complete in summer 2017, after some delay.

Further reading from the Commons Library

Infrastructure policies and investment, SN6594, 27 June 2017

Local Enterprise Partnerships, SN5651, 2 May 2017

Regional Growth Fund, SN5874, 2 November 2016

Local transport in England, 2010-, SN5735, 23 August, 2016  

Strategic Road Network (SRN), SN1448, 10 August, 2015