Skip to main content

Private sector could reduce UK's road repairs cost

Private sector companies in the UK are preparing to aid local authorities deal with the effects of government spending cuts on roads. Mike Notman, outgoing chairman of the UK's top trade body for road maintenance, Highways Term Maintenance Association (HTMA), has warned that repairs and improvements to the nation's roads is an easy target for the coalition government, and claimed that private sector companies could reduce costs by as much as 15%.
May 14, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Private sector companies in the UK are preparing to aid local authorities deal with the effects of government spending cuts on roads.

Mike Notman, outgoing chairman of the UK's top trade body for road maintenance, 2479 Highways Term Maintenance Association (HTMA), has warned that repairs and improvements to the nation's roads is an easy target for the coalition government, and claimed that private sector companies could reduce costs by as much as 15%.

“Private sector companies undertake these services across the UK and therefore have much greater knowledge and experience of delivery,” he said.

Incoming chairman Philip Hoare has vowed to “develop stronger, productive and results-orientated outcomes across the sector” despite the pressures of government spending cuts.

He committed the organisation to further improving the quality of highways management and maintenance in a bid to reinforce the message that reliable and safe roads are paramount to the social and economic needs of the nation.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Turkish customs: TAREKS taken to task
    February 29, 2024
    Turkish customs officials, under the TAREKS inspection regime, are taking a harder look at non-EU-made construction equipment. But it appears that some European manufacturers are being caught up in the importation log jam, reports David Arminas.
  • Climate change affects the road network
    November 5, 2019
    Climate change is affecting the road network, with increased risks of flooding and wear and tear adding to maintenance headaches.
  • A new event is preparing the asphalt industry for tomorrow’s world
    September 11, 2018
    An inaugural event for the European bitumen industry urged attendees to look to the future - Kristina Smith reports What will tomorrow’s roads look like? Will lanes be narrower, will the road charge vehicles as they drive on them, will they collect data, will they be self-cleaning and de-polluting? All these questions and more were pondered at a two-day conference in Berlin, entitled ‘Preparing the asphalt industry for the future’. It was the first such event for Eurasphalt & Eurobitume (E&E), and set a
  • Kenyan key contract being built by Bechtel
    August 9, 2017
    Bechtel has won a major project to build and important highway link in Kenya. This will be the first long stretch of high-speed expressway in Kenya and will connect the capital, Nairobi, with the country’s main port, Mombasa. The project for the 473km connection is being supported with financing from US and UK sources. Once the new route is open to traffic, journeys between Nairobi will take just four hours by road, instead of 10 at present.