Infrastructure Matters

In the past week, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves and HM Treasury have been announcing policies ahead of tomorrow’s budget. Gone are the days of budget secrecy – analysts are predicting no surprises from this budget as The Labour Party attempt to avoid unsettling the market.   At IM, we’ve monitored the key announcements and produced a guide on what to expect tomorrow.

This Wednesday, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves will set out her plans for the economy in Labour’s first Budget since coming into power. In an announcement last week, Reeves set out her plans to change the government's fiscal rules to increase capital spending. We have set out why Reeves has made this decision and what impacts this might have on the sector.

Our team were delighted to attend the Lower Thames Crossing's Pilot Skills Hub launch yesterday at Gallagher Group Ltd's Concrete Plant in Maidstone. The Pilot Skills Hub will support 20 local people – including prison leavers – through a two-week bootcamp, with each guaranteed a job interview at the end of the process.    Initiatives like this will be key to bridging the skills gap the the industry is facing.    At the event we heard from: - Lord David Blunkett - Former Secretary of State for Education - Kirsty Evans - Executive Principal of CITB and National Construction College - Natalie Bonnick MCIPS - Head of Supply Chain Development, Lower Thames Crossing - Sean Connor - Managing Director, Gallagher Aggregate - Patrick Flannery, Director, Flannery Plant Hire

A great event today at the Institute for Government (IfG), looking at the effective rollout of EV charging infrastructure. The expert panel included Lilian Greenwood Minister for the Future of Roads, Bharat Pathania (MBA, MIET, APMP) Head of New Technologies at Midlands Connect, Ian Howells Executive Vice President at Honda Motor Europe Ltd and Rosa Hodgkin from the IfG itself. We're working with our client Believ, on the rollout of their charge points across the UK and welcome the panel's incisive analysis of the challenges and potential solutions for this important industry.

On the 30th of October, Rt Hon Rachel Reeves will set out her plans for the economy in Labour’s first Budget since coming into power. Here at IM, we’ve produced a guide to the Budget.   In the next two weeks, we’ll be sharing analysis, updates, predictions, and reactions to The Budget – make sure to keep an eye on our page to stay in the loop.

Infrastructure Matters is delighted to be supporting Huntingdonshire District Council in its HDC Showcase: Pride In Place event on the 14th of November.   The event will focus on celebrating and growing the visitor economy in Huntingdonshire, allowing for opportunities to make connections with key local stakeholders, community groups and business leaders, as well as to explore investment opportunities and the District’s future growth plans. Speakers confirmed include:   Sarah Conboy - Executive Leader of Huntingdonshire District Council Nik Johnson - Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Mark Robinson - Chair of the Government's High Streets Taskforce Amy Priestley - Urban designer at Urban Movement   To register for free please click the link below. Mike Gildersleeves Michelle Sacks

Yesterday, the HM Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade published “Invest 2035: The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy”. Here are IM’s five key takeaways.   1️⃣ The strategy focuses on existing strengths: Rather than attempting to reinvent the wheel, the strategy utilises existing national specialisms. Eight growth sectors were identified: professional services, financial services, creative industries, advanced manufacturing, defence, technology, life sciences and clean energy. Emphasis is also given to “enabler” industries - sectors that support the growth of others, such as finance and professional services.    2️⃣ Infrastructure remains a priority: The strategy continues the Labour commitment to “get Britain building again” by emphasising the need for infrastructure investment to support industry. The report acknowledges that “Growth-driving sectors also require high quality infrastructure and transport connectivity” and reiterates plans to build a more effective planning system.   3️⃣ A new watchdog will support the delivery: The Government have announced “a statutory, permanent, and independent Industrial Strategy Council” to inform and monitor the development and delivery of the industrial strategy. The Council will be chaired by Clare Barclay, CEO of Microsoft UK.   4️⃣ The response has been strong so far: Giles Wilkes, senior fellow at the Institute for Government, who advised on industrial strategy for Mays government and the post-2010 coalition administration, has stated that “as a think piece, I believe it’s better than anything we produced under Theresa May.”    This mirrors praise from Make UK, who “welcomed the launch of this important industrial strategy”, and Airbus UK, who called it "a vital opportunity to build on the successful partnership between government and the aerospace sector".   5️⃣ Mood was high at the International Investment Summit: The Government published the strategy on the morning of the International Investment Summit, with the goal of improving business confidence. The Summit raised £63 billion in private investment, beating Sunak’s last year (£39 billion) - suggesting that international business confidence in the UK is growing stronger.

We're excited to announce our new webinar series launching next month, featuring useful advice and great discussion. These will be presented by experts within the Inspectorate and the wider planning sector. Get early access to register for upcoming webinars plus timely news updates by signing up for our alerts! Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eA4U8vgH

“You all know that infrastructure is a key engine for growth, but that engine is in serious need of an MOT” Earlier today, Chief Secretary to the HM Treasury, Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, made a speech at Skanska HQ outlining the government’s plans to re-energise infrastructure investment in the UK. Here’s IM’s five key takeaways. 1️⃣ A ten-year strategy to rebuild trust: The Government are aiming to improve stability and coordination in infrastructure delivery through long term planning. The “Ten-Year National Infrastructure Strategy” will be released next Spring alongside the Spending Review, and will include “Social Infrastructure”, such as school buildings, for the first time. 2️⃣ A new oversight body: The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), which will be operational by Spring 2025, will absorb the functions of the National Infrastructure Commission and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, and aims to “bridge the gap between what we build and how we build it”. 3️⃣ Commitment to the Infrastructure Bill this parliamentary session: The Infrastructure Bill, which aims to streamline NSIPs, reform compulsory purchase rules and modernise planning committees, will be introduced within this session - before next July. 4️⃣ Powers to intervene in planning for Rayner: The deputy Prime Minister can now intervene in the planning system where the potential for growth demands it - a power she has used to recover applications for two data centres in Buckinghamshire and Herefordshire, and a film studio near Marlow. 5️⃣ Bringing together pension pots: Labour estimates that pension pots could be boosted by £11,000 on average, whilst unlocking £8 billion of new productive investment into our economy. With rumours of changes to the fiscal rules, potentially unlocking £50bn of public investment, the Government are getting serious about getting Britain building. Photo: HM Treasury, Flickr

Today, Minister for Industry Sarah Jones announced the new Labour Government will end the “Tory chokehold on infrastructure” by removing barriers to development.   Jones highlighted the detrimental effects of blocking renewable energy projects, noting that the UK's capacity is a third smaller than it could be, and the Conservatives blocked one energy project every day. Labour's plans include reforming the NPPF to boost the development of railways, roads, laboratories, and 1.5 million homes.   This announcement precedes a major investment reveal expected tomorrow from the Prime Minister, Chancellor, and Energy Secretary, in preparation for the Government’s International Investment Summit on October 14