Weekly Wrap | Time for Boris Johnson to deliver promised ‘infrastructure revolution’
In the end it was emphatic. Whichever way you flip it, Boris Johnson wiped the floor in the General Election and turned the country Tory blue.
Given promises of an ‘infrastructure revolution’ featuring ￡100bn infrastructure spend, support for Northern Powerhouse Rail and a key focus on carbon capture schemes, you would have thought the industry would have been jumping for joy as Johnson returned to No 10. However, in place of celebration, the industry has reacted with trepidation – clearly not taking the Conservative’s pre-election pledges at face value.
Scape group chief executive Mark Robinson said MPs must hold the prime minister “to account” on delivering his ￡100bn infrastructure spend, sorting out labour shortages and investing ￡3bn in a National Skills Fund. He added that he was “concerned about how quickly we will see the benefit with boots on the ground”.
ICE director general Nick Baveystock added that “what is needed now is less talk and more action”. In particular, Baveystock called for the National Infrastructure Strategy to be fast-tracked after months of delay. While CECA chief executive Alasdair Reisner called on Johnson to deliver "promises of investment [...] made during the election [to] turbo-charge the infrastructure sector”.
Rapid clarification on the futures of High Speed 2 and Heathrow are also needed, especially as Johnson has hinted the true cost of HS2 could bust ￡100bn. Railway Industry Association chief executive Darren Caplan led the charge urging the government to release the Oakervee and Williams reviews from their DfT vaults and set out a clear, definitive 30-year plan for the rail industry.
Casting a glance away from central government, this week has seen TfL announce issues with its Barking Riverside Extension programme and delays to its Tottenham Hale station development. Staying with TfL, Bank station upgrade boss Andy Swift revealed the London transport body will be paying contractors for losing bids on future projects.
Elsewhere, Stansted Airport bosses revealed that it will submit revised expansion plans next year, the Admiralty Arch project received a much needed funding boost and winners contractors were named on Yorkshire Water’s ￡650M framework.
This week's top stories:
General Election live | Industry urges Johnson to 'turbo charge' infrastructure
Boris Johnson secretly briefed on ￡100bn HS2 cost
TfL boss vows to pay losing bidders on future jobs
Buried utilities threaten to delay TfL’s Barking Riverside Extension
Admiralty Arch redevelopment given ￡70M boost
Stansted Airport to publish revised expansion plans