International comparisons show that we still don’t match our competitors when it comes to the proportion of our national wealth that we invest in our infrastructure and services.

And yet we know that infrastructure and services that are reliable and resilient have a key role to play when it comes to enabling our businesses improve their productivity. We know that investment in infrastructure and services is makes a difference when it comes to the long term future of our communities and businesses. We know that our long term strategic ambition to improve connectivity whilst reducing environmental impact are dependent upon having the infrastructure and services that enables individuals and businesses to make different choices.

The importance of continuing to make the case for investment has been brought home to me over the last few weeks as in my day job we’ve held roundtable discussions at the conferences of the three main UK political parties.

Today we had the last of those roundtables in the fringes of the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester. What has struck me time and again is the extent to which senior Political and Business leaders within the regions ‘get’ the need to make the case for more investment in infrastructure and services. How they want to see that case being made in terms of delivering on strategic ambitions and outcomes.

And so with the Spending Review postponed to the New Year we need to use the time in between to build the strongest possible case – as a profession – for increasing the investment we make in infrastructure and services.