UK Treasury welcomes expert insight on infrastructure delivery

With growth at the heart of its agenda, the UK government sees infrastructure as crucial to the UK’s economic future.

And this summer, it will publish a strategy that sets out its infrastructure plans for the next 10 years.

A sound strategy is an important first step. But it will only succeed if the country can deliver infrastructure effectively.

Working closely with HM Treasury, the ICE brought together industry leaders and ministers to discuss the biggest delivery barriers and how the strategy can address them.

What's the government doing?

In 2023, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) published its second National Infrastructure Assessment, setting out the UK’s infrastructure needs over the next 30 years.

The upcoming 10-year National Infrastructure Strategy will detail how the government plans to meet these needs.

The government has also announced a new infrastructure body to improve project delivery.

The new National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) will bring together the existing National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) and Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA).

Covering economic and social infrastructure, NISTA aims to “bridge the gap between what we build and how we build it”.

NISTA will launch on 1 April and will play a key supporting role in drafting and delivering the 10-year strategy.

A wide-ranging conversation

The ICE hosted the industry and government roundtable discussion on 28 January.

Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, chaired the event. Housing minister Mathew Pennycook also participated.

The wide-ranging conversation covered:

• the need for a clear pipeline of projects.
• the role of private finance.
• the importance of effective pre-construction planning.
• the skills needed to deliver the large programme of work over the coming decade.

Why this is important

The ICE exists to ensure that people and our planet have the infrastructure systems they need.

An important part of this is the independent, expert advice we offer governments.

This conversation with ministers aligned strongly with the ICE’s policy work and recommendations to the UK government in recent years.

A growing population, changing climate, and legally binding net-zero targets all place huge demands on infrastructure. Effective delivery is fundamental to meeting them.

There is also the question of finance. Infrastructure spending needs to rise sharply in the decades ahead. And with public finances spread thin, much of this money must come from the private sector.

Investors currently see the UK as a risky bet. And the ICE’s recent work shows that new finance models aren’t the answer: it’s about getting the fundamentals right.

The 10-year strategy is a huge opportunity to send the right signals to investors. By convening these discussions and amplifying expert voices, the ICE is helping shape its success.

Next steps

Shortly before the roundtable, the government published several working papers, including one focused on the 10-year strategy.

A further working paper on planning reform, published in February, looks at reforming the approval process for nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs).

Both set out questions and invite feedback from stakeholders before the end of February.

As well as providing feedback on these papers, the ICE will continue to engage directly with Treasury officials as they develop the strategy in the coming months.

To stay up to date on this and other policy priorities, sign up to our monthly policy newsletter, ICE Informs.