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

  • Improving rural roads, fighting poverty
    February 23, 2012
    IRF Geneva's Innovation Award for Road Transport in Developing Countries (InARoaD) proved a showcase for initiatives that are having a real impact on global efforts to fight poverty by opening rural access, including this inspirational project from Nepal
  • IRF Geneva highlights making roads safe: a priority for all
    May 15, 2014
    IRF Geneva’s Susanna Zammataro highlights the importance of the Federation’s ongoing commitment to the work of the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, with which she serves as co-chair of the project group dedicated to Safer Roads and Mobility On 10th April, the United Nations General Assembly was due to discuss a new global road safety resolution. For those who might dismiss this as just another piece of paper condemned to sit on government shelves and gather dust, this a reminder of a few facts
  • The new agile world of the construction equipment industry
    June 22, 2015
    while worldwide for 2015 a crystalball would be helpful, in Europe the sector has already listed specific priorities it wants to tackle, and among these are the upcoming emissions regulations (see separate story), external trade and access to foreign markets, and market surveillance.
  • A history lesson in private public partnerships
    February 15, 2012
    Michel Démarre gives some historical insights into public-private partnerships conceived to implement urban infrastructure projects, a concept that surprisingly dates back to as early as the 13th century!