ICE response to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee inquiry: Post-pandemic economic growth

The recommendations set out within this submission are targeted at improving the provision and performance of the UK’s economic infrastructure networks. Investment in these networks can provide the foundations for wider growth as the UK recovers from the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The submission focuses on a selection of the questions that the Committee has identified as part of its inquiry and makes the following recommendations:

• Short- to medium-term investments in infrastructure should be targeted at speeding up the roll-out of both full-fibre and 5G communications, alongside improving active travel provision
• Looking further ahead, investment in infrastructure should continue to be guided by long-term drivers, including population growth, the 2050 net-zero emissions target and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
• A UK investment bank should be established with a remit to invest in infrastructure projects aimed at helping to meet the 2050 net-zero emissions target
• As part of its forthcoming National Infrastructure Strategy, the government should put in place a dedicated plan for delivering net-zero emissions. The plan should also outline the government’s approach for developing the skills necessary to deliver the transition to net zero
• Across England, regional infrastructure strategies should be developed to identify investment priorities and help drive wider economic growth.