Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
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12 | 5TH - 11TH MAY 2017 | UTILITY WEEK Utility Week Live 2017 The future of streetworks As we look ahead to the annual 2017 Utility Week Live conference, it seems appropriate to reflect on what an eventful year it has been for UK politics. A snap general election, the onset of Brexit negotiations and the prospect of another referendum on Scottish independence all mean a changing environ- ment for our members. Throughout this time, and like many businesses up and down the country, our members have continued to deliver the criti- cal infrastructure - be that water, telecoms, gas, sewerage and electricity - that every home in the UK needs. The annual cost of streetworks for utilities and contractors totals £1.6 billion alone in addition to the costs to upgrade, expand and connect new custom- ers to their networks. At a time of stretched national and local government finances, our members are contributing significantly to the growing UK economy of today and support- ing the country's future prosperity. The government's Modern Industrial Strategy Green Paper outlined a clear focus to improve living standards and drive economic growth by increasing productiv- ity across the whole country. Infrastructure investment is an area the UK has historically lagged behind other countries on, and is key to driving the competitive edge to achieve the government's ambitions, especially post Brexit. As government prepares for a growing population (76 million by 2047), which will bring unprecedented housebuilding and infrastructure programmes, it's NJUG's members that are facilitating the infrastruc- ture to make that possible. Vital streetworks are taking place that underpin the everyday lives of homeowners and businesses across the country – enabling, for example, more people to work from home and increasing their quality of life in turn. I am acutely aware that while infrastruc- ture investment is universally welcomed, oen the congestion caused by large infrastructure projects and the associated streetworks is not. As infrastructure invest- ment accelerates in the UK, our members are committed to continuing to work closely Bob Gallienne Chief executive, NJUG with government and local authorities to minimise the disruption through greater collaboration between utilities and by using and sharing innovative methods. From listening closely to the views of our members on the ground it is clear that local authorities already have all the neces- sary powers to manage utility streetworks. In trying to find solutions to reduce urban congestion, and ultimately keep costs on bill payers to a minimum, NJUG's members need to be supported to improve operations through consistent and considered applica- tion of powers at a local level. As part of our consistent drive for greater collaboration, NJUG welcomes the Depart- ment for Transport's upcoming review into the current permits and lane rental schemes. We're keen to work with government and the Highways Authorities to move to an incentive driven environment to avoid cost penalties on NJUG members for 'business as usual' streetworks. While there are challenges facing utili- ties as we seek to deliver on the ambitions of government, there are also far reaching opportunities to ease the path for the roll out of infrastructure, to the benefit of all.