Clive Bairsto looks ahead to 2020

14 Jan
2020

Our Chief Executive Clive Bairsto CBE looks back at 2019, and gives his thoughts on the upcoming year for the street works industry:

Last year was a truly transformative year for our industry at the Street Works level.

Our members excelled as the builders of our nation’s infrastructure, continuing to deliver high quality works which benefit consumers across the country. We have been successful in building relationships across government, the highlight being my meeting with Roads Minister Baroness Vere. As the government takes forward its ambitious infrastructure programme and plans to achieve net-zero by 2050, Street Works UK looks forward to building on these relationships and demonstrating the important work utilities and contracting partners will play in driving these agendas forward.

The year ahead is set to be a busy one for the industry, with many challenges to face alongside opportunities to shape the political and regulatory landscape. One such challenge is the launch of Street Manager in a matter of months. We recognise this will provide an opportunity to simplify the current system, but we will continue to raise the concerns voiced to us by industry ahead of the go-live date. More widely, our industry will be at the forefront of delivering the Conservative government’s ambitious acceleration in full fibre broadband and advancing the decarbonisation agenda. This period of great change in the industry will require us all to work together to deliver the works required to meet these challenges.

To this end, Street Works UK is developing a vision which will showcase what the sector should aspire to look like over the next five years; and what industry, government and highways authorities should do to help achieve this.

I’m really looking forward to meeting the challenges which await us in 2020, as we strive to demonstrate the vital role street works will play in underpinning the delivery of the next government’s priorities, the infrastructure this nation needs, and our vision for the sector.