ICE and industry leaders help UK government put infrastructure plans into action

ICE director general Janet Young joined government and industry leaders to discuss the implementation of the Planning and Infrastructure Act after the legislation passed its final stages before Christmas.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed chaired the roundtable, which took place at the end of January. Housing Minister Mathew Pennycook and Chief Secretary to the Treasury (CST) James Murray also joined.

The comprehensive conversation ranged from skills and workforce planning to culture change, which leaders agreed is necessary to drive innovation.

Attendees also discussed the role of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), including the importance of spatial planning. This is something the body is examining as part of its refresh of the 10-year infrastructure strategy (10YIS) next year.

Tackling delivery pinch points

The meeting came days after the ICE’s new ‘pinch points’ paper, which looks at the barriers to delivering the governments infrastructure ambitions and ways to tackle them.

These include:

• a rationalised planning system with a focus on staff recruitment and retention, better use of digital technologies, and more effective leadership and relationship-building;
• collaborative, long-term relationships that build supply chain resilience and reduce delivery costs; and
• a comprehensive, long-term skills plan to grow and maintain the workforce.

The paper also echoes a recommendation from the ICE policy paper “why do major projects take so long and cost so much” published last September.

In it, we called for the CST to retain responsibility for delivery of the 10YIS, with mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability, to join up strategy, policy, and delivery across government.

The ICE has called for a cabinet committee on infrastructure to bring together the relevant secretaries of state, junior ministers, and senior civil servants.

We need to work together

Reflecting on the event, Dr Janet Young, said:

"The government made excellent progress last year with the establishment of NISTA and the publication of the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy.

"Passing the Planning and Infrastructure Act is another step in the right direction, but legislation will only take us so far. Delivering the reforms will require sustained effort from government and industry. We must work together to recruit and retain talent, address skills gaps, and prioritise investment.

"The Institution of Civil Engineers will continue to share its members’ insights and expertise to help shape policy and support delivery."