Tougher rules needed for utility firms digging up roads, MPs say
Transport Committee chairwoman Ruth Cadbury said a pattern of repeated works can feel like a 'recurring nightmare' for road users.
The Transport Committee set out a series of recommendations to reduce disruption from streetworks (Martin Keene/PA)
Under current rules, utility firms are responsible for the quality of the road surfaces they have reinstated for two years after works have completed, or three years in the case of deeper excavations.
The committee called for that period to be extended to five years so council tax payers do not have to pick up the bill for repairing potholes caused by shoddy remediation work.
Other recommendations from the committee included:
– Tighter use of immediate permits enabling companies to dig up roads with little or no notice given to the local authority.
– A new streetworks commissioner, similar to the Scottish roadworks tsar, to monitor performance and resolve disputes.
– The wider use of lane rental schemes, charging firms up to £2,500 a day to incentivise quicker completion of works.
– Better co-operation so utility firms and housing developers can work on the same bit of road at the same time rather than have repeated closures.
Labour MP Ms Cadbury acknowledged that ageing infrastructure under the roads needed to be maintained and upgraded and extra cables and pipes were required for new homes.
'But as every road user knows, street works can feel like a recurring nightmare,' she said.
Longer-term planning and earlier notification should help councils prevent the infuriating occurrence of multiple roads being closed in one locality, or the same road being dug up multiple times in one year Ruth Cadbury
The committee's recommendations would make a huge difference if they were implemented, she said.
'Upping the quality of reinstatement works will help stem the never-ending plague of potholes on local roads.
'Lane rental schemes should provide a financial incentive to complete works on time.
'And longer-term planning and earlier notification should help councils prevent the infuriating occurrence of multiple roads being closed in one locality, or the same road being dug up multiple times in one year.'
A Department for Transport spokesman said: 'We wholeheartedly agree that streetworks are far too disruptive for drivers and that is why we have taken action to prevent the impact on drivers.
'We've cracked down on streetwork companies overrunning or leaving roads poorly repaired by ramping up fines and giving local authorities new powers to coordinate roadworks more efficiently and will put measures in place so 50% of surplus lane rental funds must be invested into highway maintenance.
'We are determined to end the pothole plague, which is why we are already investing £1.6 billion this year to help local authorities resurface local roads and fix the equivalent of up to seven million extra potholes this year.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
40 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Starmer vows to press on with welfare reform as he takes blame for U-turn
Sir Keir Starmer has insisted welfare reform is still on the table as he took the blame for Tuesday's U-turn in the face of a major backbench rebellion. In an interview with the BBC, the Prime Minister acknowledged his Government did not 'get the process right' and failed to 'engage in the way that we should have done' on welfare changes. But he added his Government would 'come through it stronger' as he vowed to 'reflect' on what needed to be done 'to ensure we don't get into a situation like that again'. Despite the setback, which saw changes to the personal independence payment (Pip) stripped out of his welfare legislation, Sir Keir said on Thursday his Government was 'pressing on with welfare reform'. Answering questions at the launch of Labour's NHS plan, he said: 'It is important we reform the system. Welfare isn't working.' The Prime Minister went on to praise disabilities minister Sir Stephen Timms, who is now leading a review of Pip, saying he was 'a thoroughly decent man of huge integrity that we can have faith in to do the review and make the changes that are necessary'. Sir Keir's U-turn saw planned changes to Pip eligibility put off until after Sir Stephen has completed his review of the benefit next autumn, leaving only changes to universal credit to go forward. That decision has caused a fiscal headache for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, with the £4.8 billion of savings the reforms were expected to deliver now unlikely to materialise. Economists have warned that this is likely to mean further tax rises in the autumn, and the Prime Minister did not rule out the possibility on Thursday. Ms Reeves has previously promised she would not need to repeat the £40 billion tax raid she set out in October 2024. Asked if he would repeat that commitment, Sir Keir said: 'No prime minister or chancellor is going to write a budget in advance, but we did really tough stuff in that budget last year.' But he added that last year's budget had already done much of the 'heavy lifting' on repairing the public finances. The Chancellor also declined to 'speculate' about tax rises ahead of the budget, but told broadcasters there was 'a cost to the welfare changes that Parliament voted through this week and that will be reflected in the budget'. Ms Reeves herself appeared alongside Sir Keir and Health Secretary Wes Streeting at the launch of the NHS plan on Thursday, a day after she had appeared visibly tearful in the Commons during Prime Minister's Questions. The Chancellor told broadcasters it had been related to a 'personal issue', while Sir Keir gave her his full backing, adding: 'I think it's just fantastic she's here and, as I say, none of this would be happening if she hadn't taken the decisions that she's taken.' Questions about the Chancellor's future had sparked a sharp fall in the value of UK government bonds on Wednesday, but the markets rallied on Thursday morning following repeated reassurances she was safe in Number 11.
Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Tesco announces extra support for children and families facing hunger over the school holidays this summer
For families shopping in store, the supermarket will also be running its Kids Eat Free scheme in its 317 cafés across the UK over the school summer holidays. With the school holidays now underway, Tesco is providing extra help to support children and their families this summer, as part of its Stronger Starts programme. The initiatives are in response to the crucial need to support children who would normally receive free school meals during term time and are therefore at risk of missing meals during the holiday period. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Last summer, nearly a third (32%) of families with children reported sometimes or often being unable to afford balanced meals in the previous month, according to research from Trussell and today, one in four children under the age of five are at risk of needing to use a food bank. Additional research from Tesco highlights the challenges faced in the school holidays. Last summer, one in 12 respondents said that in the past their children have had to miss meals due to financial constraints – a problem alleviated during term time by access to free school meals. Pre-filled donation bags Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Donation bags will be available in Scottish stores from 30th June to 10th August. This summer, Tesco will sell its pre-packed food donation bags in all large stores. The bags, which typically cost between £2 and £3, are pre-filled with healthy and nutritious long-life items and can be picked up in store and paid for at the checkout. The donated food goes directly to FareShare and Trussell, who will distribute it to charities and food banks to help families who need it most across the UK. Last summer, Trussell food banks supported 391,000 people with emergency food – 143,000 of whom were children, and the charity expects to see continued high levels of need this summer. Grants for schools providing food and activities Schools are running holiday breakfast and lunch clubs to tackle the lack of free school meals and keep pupils fed and active. Tesco is supporting them by giving £200 gift cards to all 400 schools that are part of its term-time Fruit and Veg for Schools programme. Tesco Fruit & Veg for Schools supports pupils in schools where there is a higher-than-average free school meal ratio, and in total aims to provide around 16 million pieces of fruit and vegetables. Over a school year, that's the equivalent of 110 portions per child on average. Round up at the till Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad From 25th – 31st August, customers will have the chance to round up their bill at the checkout to the nearest pound with the funds being split between FareShare and Trussell to support their work over the summer. Customers shopping online will also be able to make a monetary donation as they check out. Last year, generous Tesco shoppers donated just over £500,000. Kids Eat Free in cafes For families shopping in store, the supermarket will also be running its Kids Eat Free scheme in its 317 cafés across the UK over the school summer holidays. The supermarket's cafés will be offering one free Kids Hot Meal Deal, Kids Breakfast or Kids Pick 'n' Mix deal with each item bought by an adult from as little as 60p, when showing their Tesco Clubcard or Clubcard App at the till. One of the groups who has benefitted from the Holiday Helps campaign is Peeblesshire Foodbank, who provide food to people who need that extra support. Fiona Dalgleish, manager at Peeblesshire Foodbank, said: 'Tesco donation bags make things so much easier for both people making donations and for us too! We can tell Tesco what we need, they make up packs of varying sizes and Tesco customers can simply pick them up, pay for them and pop them into the collection basket. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's so easy - the customers know that they're giving us exactly what we need and the gaps on our shelves fill found donations really increase during the initiative, it really works for us. Thank you Tesco for a great scheme, it makes the world of difference for the people who use our food bank.' Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, said:'Too often, families with too little support during the holidays worry about their children's physical and mental health, particularly if they're not getting the good food every child deserves. 'If we all pull together over the summer, whether that's popping a few tins into a food collection point, picking up a food donation bag in our stores or rounding up our grocery bill, we can make a difference to the lives of thousands of children, who, without support, could have a tough summer holiday.' Emma Revie, CEO at Trussell said: 'We are extremely grateful to our partner Tesco and excited for this year's in-store summer activities, making it easier for people to support their local food bank throughout the holidays. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's not right that so many families with children can't afford to eat balanced meals. Our community of food banks distributed more than 1 million parcels for children last year, illustrating the unacceptable levels of hardship so many families are currently facing. No-one should need to turn to a charity for something as essential as food, and as we work towards achieving the long-term change needed, Tesco's support this summer will make a real difference to families across the UK.' Kris Gibbon-Walsh, CEO at FareShare said: 'During the school holidays, families across the UK will be facing financial pressures as they juggle the cost of childcare and food and turning to their local community and charities for support. 'The food that we provide doesn't just feed people, it provides a gateway to other services and activities that will help countless children to play, have fun and make friends this summer.
Rhyl Journal
2 hours ago
- Rhyl Journal
Gill German: Why MP voted for the Government welfare bill
The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill was passed in Parliament on July 1, after MPs voted 335 to 260 to give the bill its initial approval. This came after the government offered rebel Labour MPs last-minute concessions, including announcing no change to PIP rules until it had time to consider a review's conclusions. Gill German MP was one of the 335 MPs who voted in favour of the bill, arguing that the move will help up to 3.9 million families across the UK. Ms German said the bill will help move welfare "toward a fairer system" and allow the government to "work more closely with disabled people". She added that the bill was "one of the biggest boosts to basic support in decades" and thanked constituents for expressing concern which was "real and must be taken seriously". Ms German said: "The Universal Credit and PIP Bill will raise the Universal Credit allowance to £775 by 2029/30, which will help 3.9 million families. "This above-inflation increase is one of the biggest boosts to basic support in decades and marks an important step towards ensuring families can afford essentials without relying on food banks or charities. "The Bill also ends the need for reassessment for Personal Independence Payments for those with severe, lifelong conditions and protects existing PIP claimants from any future eligibility changes. "Eligibility changes for new PIP claimants will now be considered at a later date after the PIP review, also known as the Timms Review, concludes in 2026. "Many in Clwyd North have shared their concerns with me about what changes to PIP eligibility might mean and I thank everyone who has shared their story. That concern is real and must be taken seriously. "I welcome the government's commitment to protect existing claimants, accelerate the review of PIP assessments, and working more closely with disabled people. "Alongside measures like the 'Right to Try' work without risking current entitlements, and greater investment in health and employment pathways, I believe we can move toward a fairer system, and it is for this reason that I support this Bill." The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill had initially been proposed to potentially save up to £5billion - this now faces delay or loss entirely after amendments were made. The bill is now in the committee stage, and will have a third reading in Parliament which, if approved, will mean it will then be presented to the House of Lords.
