This week the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee published its report into the winter floods of 2013-14.  Their report whilst praising the Governments reaction through emergency funding to the floods, goes on to criticise the funding mechanisms in place for Local Authorities especially the issues around insufficient maintenance (revenue) funding. 
The report states that ‘funding for maintenance is at a bare minimum’ and that both the ‘importance and attributes’ of maintenance are ‘undervalued’. 

This message chimes with concerns previously raised by CIHT that the transport sector has insufficient revenue funding to maintain key assets, such as keeping highways in good repair.  CIHT in its response to the DfT Network Resilience review recommended a formal review and commitment for asset and infrastructure resilience assessment to be made a statutory requirement.

This new report hot on the heels of the National Audit Office’s (NAO) report ‘Maintaining strategic infrastructure: roads’ brings a clear message to Government that long term funding certainty is crucial to how the UK manages its road infrastructure.

Andrew Hugill, Director of Policy and Technical Affairs said:

“We have consistently called for a need for certainty, and continuity of investment over a sustained period if overall improvements to the transport network are to be delivered effectively and efficiently.

Giving certainty to the entire transport sector, including skills, resources and the investment needed for effective delivery will result in benefits to health, environmental, social as well as economic agendas.”