The National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) has called for the next UK parliament to take bold, holistic action on climate change and economic growth.
On 4 July 2024, the UK will head to the polls to elect a new government.
In light of this, the NEPC has published a manifesto assessing the UK’s needs and suggesting policies that will empower engineers to solve them.
About the NEPC
The NEPC is a partnership of 42 professional engineering institutions.
Led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, it provides insight, analysis, and policy recommendations to the UK government.
With support from organisations including the ICE, the NEPC represents over 700,000 engineers in the UK.
What is a manifesto?
A manifesto is a written declaration of policy intentions or views.
Political parties often release manifestos ahead of elections, stating what they will do if elected to office.
But other organisations publish manifestos to put ideas, information, and recommendations to policymakers – in this case, future MPs.
The recommendations in the NEPC manifesto gather ideas and insight from different member organisations for policymakers to read and understand.
At a glance
In its section on infrastructure, the paper makes four recommendations:
- Embed maintenance in the design of major government infrastructure projects and integrate lifelong maintenance standards into operational contracts.
- Enable better use of secure, well-governed digital infrastructure.
- Agree outcome-based resilience standards for energy, water, digital, and transport services.
- Modernise the UK’s sewer and water networks.
The paper also calls on the government to build on the recommendations in the second National Infrastructure Assessment.
Joining up existing sub-national strategies, it says, will “ensure infrastructure continues to deliver economic and societal benefits across the UK”.
How does the ICE inform infrastructure policy?
The ICE’s policy and external affairs team works with members and senior industry figures to refine policy positions on key infrastructure issues: transport, strategic planning, decarbonisation, resilience, and more.
These positions allow the ICE to make informed, impartial recommendations to policymakers in the UK and globally.
The team monitors parliamentary debates and external issues to feed into projects such as the NEPC manifesto.
Why is this important?
The ICE is a charitable organisation with a duty to act for the public good.
Through its policy work, the ICE informs the political decisions that shape how infrastructure helps people, the planet, and the economy thrive.
As the general election approaches, the ICE will continue to help decision-makers across the political spectrum understand the value of infrastructure and the professionals who design, build, and maintain it.
