More money could be promised for local roads and a review of Treasury investment rules around project appraisal may also be on the cards, a suggestion supported by sub national transport body Transport for the North.
Its head of policy Tim Foster said yesterday that reforming the Treasury’s ‘Green Book’ approach to assessing the merits of transport projects could help “encourage better decision making in Government on national infrastructure projects and support the delivery of social and economic change at regional and local level”.

During a webinar yesterday the Transport Minister Rachel Maclean was asked what infrastructure and mobility announcements we can expect from the Chancellor. “It is no secret that he will be making available significant support to help with the transition to electric vehicles,” she told the FT Future of Mobility event.
“Whatever is said,” she added, “we are focused on meeting our climate obligations as host of (climate conference) COP26 next year”.

During an earlier session at the event, National Infrastructure Commissioner Bridget Rosewell was asked for her thoughts ahead of the Chancellor's statement. She pointed out that as the announcement will only be a one year spending review, the focus is likely to be on “making sure that money is there for the continuing delivery of those things that were already planned”.

She added that if a National Infrastructure Strategy could accept all of the recommendations of the Commission's National Infrastructure Assessment – published in 2018 – “that would be a success”.

High Speed 2 chief executive Mark Thurston remarked at the webinar that the Chancellor's announcement is likely to be focused on creating new jobs, which he described as “the currency that is going to determine the future of our country for the foreseeable future”.

(Photograph: HM Treasury)