Highways | LocalGov

Croydon splashes £12.5m on highways

15/08/2024

Croydon Council’s executive mayor has approved a £12.5m capital programme for the borough’s highway infrastructure for 2024-25, as well as a new five-year Highway Asset Management Strategy.

Potholes: What Labour should do to fix local roads

23/07/2024

Campaigner Mark Morrell, known in the media as Mr Pothole, sets out what the new government should do to fix the local road system.

Government failing to track pothole funding, auditors warn

23/07/2024

The Government does not know whether the funding it allocates to councils to fix the pothole-riddled road system is being used effectively, auditors warn.

Highway leaders warn of ‘roadwork gridlock’

15/07/2024

Nearly two thirds of local highway authority (LHA) leaders believe that we are headed for a road and street work crisis by 2030, new research has revealed.

Lib Dem £300m pothole pledge ‘won’t scratch the surface’

20/06/2024

The Liberal Democrats have committed to spending £300m over the next Parliament to fill 1.2 million potholes a year.

Labour pledges to fix one million potholes

12/06/2024

One million potholes a year will be fixed if Labour are elected on 4 July, the shadow transport secretary says.

Councils bring in over £127m in bus lane fines

07/06/2024

Local authorities in England brought in a total of £127.3m in revenue from bus lane fines in 2022/23, according to the AA.

RAC issues safety warning over obscured signs

07/06/2024

More than half of motorists say obscured signs are a frequent occurrence on their journeys, according to a survey by the RAC.

RAC: Councils take ‘wildly differing approaches’ to potholes

23/05/2024

Local authorities take very different approaches to deciding whether potholes get fixed, which means many go unrepaired, say RAC and Channel 4’s Dispatches.

ADEPT releases new guidance on commuted sums

21/05/2024

Local place directors have issued new guidance on charging developers for future asset maintenance under the commuted sums system.

LGA launches attack on DfT over traffic fine surplus plans

17/05/2024

Council bosses have hit back at the Department for Transport (DfT) over plans to restrict their ability to generate surpluses from traffic contraventions.

Councils given extra time on signals plans

15/05/2024

The Government has given English highway authorities an extra month to set out what they plan to do with their share of £50m for upgrading traffic signals.

Devon CC to invest £12m in pothole and drainage works

13/05/2024

A new multi-million-pound investment in repairing potholes and boosting road drainage has been agreed by Devon council members.

Council invests emergency £5m to tackle ‘potholes menace’

13/05/2024

Lancashire County Council has announced an emergency £5m to deal with the ‘potholes menace’ ruining the county’s roads.

Potholes cost economy over £14bn a year

29/04/2024

The poor state of England’s pothole-riddled road system is costing £14.4bn a year in economic damage, new research has revealed.

Avatar director James Cameron backs studio plans

24/04/2024

Oscar winning film director James Cameron has thrown his weight behind proposals for a new film studio in west of London.

RAC: Drivers ‘dodged the pothole bullet’

23/04/2024

Vehicle owners ‘dodged the pothole bullet’ in what is normally the worst three months of the year for breakdowns, according to the RAC.

Auditors warned over relief road 'iceberg'

19/04/2024

A councillor has asked Shropshire Council’s external auditor to investigate concerns the North West Relief Road will 'completely bankrupt the council'.

Councils publish pothole battle plans

10/04/2024

Local authorities have published which pothole-stricken roads will benefit from the first tranche of an over £8bn package of reallocated HS2 funding.

Council contractor apologises after painting over Zephaniah mural

08/04/2024

A council contractor has apologized after painting over a mural of the late poet and Peaky Blinders star Benjamin Zephaniah in central Birmingham.

Oxfordshire signs first scheme under new 'brownfield fund'

28/03/2024

Oxfordshire County Council is the first local authority to secure project funding through Homes England's Brownfield, Infrastructure and Land (BIL) Fund.

UltraCrete partners with Salford City College

27/03/2024

A new UltraCrete and Salford City College Group partnership will see Highways Maintenance Skilled Operative Apprenticeship students become UCARS Accredited.

VolkerFitzpatrick wins £38m Kent viaduct project

26/03/2024

Kent County Council has appointed VolkerFitzpatrick to design and build a highway crossing over a rail line and river near Canterbury.

UltraCrete improving road safety near Shrewsbury

26/02/2024

UltraCrete has joined forces with Highway Workforce to repair and replace a failed carriageway frame and cover on a busy road near Shrewsbury.

Councils 'have tightened pothole payout criteria'

05/02/2024

Compensation paid by councils for damage caused by potholes has fallen by more than a half, with some giving out ‘next to nothing’.

Hants seeks to avoid cost risk on £125m scheme

02/02/2024

Hampshire County Council is facing a funding gap on the A326 North Waterside Improvements scheme, if cost increases go beyond a current estimate of £125m.

Second council U-turns on pesticide use

01/02/2024

Cambridgeshire County Council has agreed to reintroduce chemical weed killer, following Brighton's recent call to recommence pesticide treatment.

Velocity’s low carbon interventions help prevent and repair potholes

11/01/2024

With National Pothole Day upon us once more, highways maintenance specialists Velocity discuss their innovative spray-injection patching technique.

Potholes: the drivers’ biggest pain

10/01/2024

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, discusses the scourge of potholes and what councils should do to fix the local road network.

Pothole claims up record 40%, insurer reveals

09/01/2024

The number of pothole-related claims increased by a record 40% last year when compared to 2022, the latest data from Admiral Car Insurance has revealed.

Kent slammed by councillors over ‘last-minute’ repairs deal

05/01/2024

A extension to Kent CC's highways term maintenance contract with Amey has been criticised as an unacceptable 'last-minute approach to a critical service'.

Parking meters face disruption from 2G switch off

18/12/2023

Parking meters, alarm systems and telecare devices risk facing disruption when 2G and 3G mobile networks are switched off, council chiefs warn.

Live Labs Centre of Excellence open for business

08/12/2023

An £8.5m Government-funded research project into building and maintaining roads with low-carbon and recycled materials now open for submissions.

Brum keeps shtum over funding axe reasons

06/12/2023

Birmingham CC has received a document setting out ministers’ reasons for pulling funding from its £2.7bn highways PFI contract but has refused to disclose it.

£8bn of HS2 savings to be spent on ending pothole ‘blight’

17/11/2023

Transport secretary Mark Harper has confirmed the allocations of an £8.3bn plan to resurface England’s pothole-marked roads, set out in the wake of HS2 cuts.

AA seeks new pothole cash as councils face cut

30/10/2023

Councils ‘desperately need’ more highway maintenance funding to address the deteriorating condition of local roads, the AA has said after its worst September fixing ‘pothole-related’ breakdowns for five years.

Oflog moves to expand remit

30/10/2023

The new Office for Local Government (Oflog) watchdog has proposed to widen its scope to five new service areas.

Council's failure to fix pothole blamed for man’s death

17/10/2023

A man died after falling from his bike when it entered a crack in the road that had been identified to Lancashire County Council, a coroner has found.

Exclusive: DfT drops self-assessment process

10/10/2023

The Department for Transport has ended the highways self-assessment process, removing the incentive element of local maintenance capital funding.

No dates for HS2 pothole cash

05/10/2023

The Government has admitted it does not have a timescale for the billions of pounds for road resurfacing that it announced after the decision to curtail HS2.

Greening Up: why, where and how

03/10/2023

Nicholas Boys Smith, director of Create Streets, sets out how local councils can improve the level of urban greenery and why they should.

Road conditions add flood risk to pothole ‘crisis’

27/09/2023

English councils received hundreds of compensation claims for flood damage in recent years as they struggled to maintain roadside drainage, according to study.

Street Manager limitations cost councils millions

08/09/2023

The Local Government Association has released a report it buried three years ago covering the financial impact of the Government's Street Manager software.

Wet July sees rise in pothole-related breakdowns

21/08/2023

This year is set to be one of the worst on record for damage caused by potholes, according to the AA, after July saw pothole-related breakdowns up a fifth.

The great pothole repair failure

16/08/2023

The UK has fallen far behind other countries when it comes to funding pothole repairs. Asphalt Industry Alliance's Rick Green discusses what needs to be done.

Councils pay out £11m in pothole-related compensation

24/07/2023

Over the past four years councils have paid out more than £11m to drivers who successfully claimed their vehicles had been damaged by potholes, RAC reveals.

Guidance on new road condition surveys pushed back

07/07/2023

The Department of Transport's (DfT) guidance on the new regime for local authority road condition surveys is delayed until next summer, a DfT official says.

Drivers face ‘pothole postcode lottery’, FoI reveals

17/04/2023

Some councils in England are taking over a month on average to fix potholes once they have been reported, a freedom of information (FoI) request has revealed.

High concentration of potholes in North, survey finds

12/04/2023

Half of the 20 councils in England found to have the highest concentration of reported potholes are in the North, according to a new survey.

Clampdown on utility companies leaving potholes

31/03/2023

Reduced traffic congestion has been promised by Government as a result of a clampdown on utility companies leaving potholes after carrying out street works.

Council chiefs call for £130m to fix potholes

10/03/2023

The Government spent 31 times more maintaining motorways and major highways last year than funding councils to repair pothole-ridden local roads, study finds.

Councils forced to axe road improvement schemes

10/03/2023

Councils are planning to axe millions of pounds of road improvements because of rising costs and lack of funds, according to new research.

Lancashire County Council is set to pass its first £1bn budget

10/02/2023

Members have been told that the current financial outlook was ‘generally positive thanks to careful management’.

Barnet Council ‘insources’ services after decade-long campaign

01/02/2023

More than 300 staff in Barnet are to be transferred back to council employment after a decade-long union campaign.

EV charging: An alternative strategy

06/12/2022

From earning money to making use of wind power, Colin Townend outlines the benefits of overnight home charging.

Council to bid for new traffic enforcement powers

15/11/2022

Sheffield Council is to apply to the Government for new traffic enforcement powers to stop drivers making illegal manoeuvres.

Exclusive: Council interventions could remove one billion miles of car journeys each week

15/11/2022

Councils could remove one billion miles of car journeys from our roads each week by taking the right policy and funding measures, new research has revealed today.

RAC slams councils over pothole repair quality

11/11/2022

Six in 10 drivers believe the condition of the local roads they use regularly is worse than a year ago, with almost as many (55%) saying the standard of pothole repairs is ‘poor’, according to the latest RAC annual survey.

How intelligent AI technology can transform road safety and reduce near misses

10/11/2022

Mark Nicholson explains how computer vision can better equip our roads to spot and reduce near misses, casualties and transform road safety.

20mph speed limit could save £100m in first year, research finds

07/11/2022

A 20mph speed limit across Wales could save £100m in the first year due to a reduction in deaths and injuries, new research has found.

Balfour Beatty appointed as sole contractor to £4bn framework

28/09/2022

International infrastructure group Balfour Beatty has been appointed as the sole contractor to two SCAPE civil engineering frameworks worth a total of £4bn.

Engagement with local authorities is key to safety on the streets

15/08/2022

Mike Bell explains how the Thomas Pocklington Trust is working with councils to ensure e-scooters are safer for blind and partially sighted people.

£5.7bn city region allocations and delivery plans confirmed

05/08/2022

Delivery plans have been confirmed for more than £5bn of local highways, transport and active travel schemes under the Department for Transport's (DfT) City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) programme.

Overheating roads 'a challenge for councils'

22/07/2022

Highway authorities will struggle to future-proof their assets as climate change leads to higher road surface temperatures, despite improvements in the performance of materials, a key sector figure has warned.

Welsh parliament votes for 20mph default

13/07/2022

The Welsh Senedd has approved legislation to lower the default national speed limit on residential roads and busy pedestrian streets in the country from 30mph to 20mph.

The importance of roadside maintenance for traffic sign visibility

11/07/2022

Danny Adamson discusses the importance of signage visibility and the factors that should be considered.

NI councils welcome funding for greenway and active travel schemes

07/07/2022

Councils in Northern Ireland have been urged to apply for funding to deliver greenways and active travel schemes.

Council to use artificial salt marshes to clean waste water

24/06/2022

A new scheme in Leicestershire will see artificially created salt marshes being used to clean oils, diesel and chemicals in water collected from road gullies.

Four transport schemes receive £160m funding boost

06/06/2022

Ministers have announced or confirmed a total of £160.8m for four major road and bridge schemes on the local road network in England.

New tool for councils to plan safer active travel schemes

06/06/2022

A free planning tool to help local authorities make active travel safer and less stressful for users has been launched by the Road Safety Foundation.

Birmingham's Clean Air Zone leads to fall in emissions

06/06/2022

The number of the most polluting vehicles entering Birmingham city centre has fallen by more than half since the Clean Air Zone was introduced a year ago, the council has reported.

DfT seeks ‘fair' moving traffic offence enforcement

01/06/2022

The Department for Transport has issued statutory guidance for local authorities outside London on applying for and using civil enforcement powers for bus lane and moving traffic contraventions.

Smarter steps to a greener future

24/05/2022

Brightly’s digital asset management solution, Confirm, is helping local authorities to streamline their operations, cut costs and contribute to the wider, global sustainability mission. Hannah Winstanley explains more.

Council blocks scrutiny over bizarre £7m contract roll-over

06/05/2022

Greenwich Council has refused to disclose why it has handed out a £7m contract without a competitive tender and has blocked scrutiny of the move.

Low carbon approaches to road maintenance

05/05/2022

Rick Green talks about the findings of this year’s Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey regarding the measures being taken on the path to net zero asphalt.

New trial to crack down on 'rowdy' motorists

03/05/2022

A new trial to help local authorities tackle loud engines and exhausts on Britain’s noisiest streets has been launched by the Government.

How IoT is helping local authorities keep their infrastructure assets safe from harm

21/04/2022

Manish Jethwa outlines how local authorities are using Internet of Things (IoT) to monitor infrastructure assets and remediate faults and other issues, as and when required.

Council resurfaces road using recycled car tyres

21/04/2022

A new technique that uses recycled car tyres to resurface roads has been used in Lancashire for the first time, the county council has confirmed.

Council will declare 'major incident' if congestion persists

08/04/2022

The leader of Dover District Council has warned he won't hesitate to declare a major incident if the town faces gridlock this weekend.

LA maintenance funding frozen after cut fears

04/03/2022

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced individual allocations for all local highway authorities outside London and the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) – with cash frozen at 2021-2022 levels for the next three years.

Kirklees raises unclassified road spend by £10m

23/02/2022

Kirklees Council has approved an additional £10m to tackle improvements on its 895-mile network of unclassified roads.

Bristol confirms September launch of charging CAZ

16/02/2022

Bristol's City Council has confirmed plans to launch its Clean Air Zone in September this year when motorists could be charged for entering the city centre.

Oxfordshire puts £8m into 20mph plans

10/02/2022

Oxfordshire County Council has approved an £8m budget to support its 20mph speed limit roll-out.

Counties warn funding cuts put road maintenance plans at risk

08/02/2022

County and rural councils will see their funding for road maintenance fall by nearly £500m by April this year, new analysis has warned.

'Get moving on road pricing,' MPs say

04/02/2022

MPs have backed a move towards road pricing to avert a £35bn black hole in the public finances.

Circular highways is a necessity not an aspiration – and it’s within our grasp

03/02/2022

Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.

Circular highways is a necessity not an aspiration – and it’s within our grasp

01/02/2022

Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.

DfT begins moving traffic powers handover

01/02/2022

The Department for Transport has released new regulations to give English councils outside of London the power to enforce moving traffic violations, including issuing fines for stopping in a box junction.

Liverpool launches £40m framework procurement

21/01/2022

A £40m highways framework covering the Liverpool Combined Authority region is open to supplier bids.

Khan eyes pay-per-mile fix for capital’s emissions

18/01/2022

London must implement a pay per mile road charging system to achieve its targets for cutting toxic air and carbon emissions, according to a new report commissioned by the mayor's office.

Highways lifecycle planning will help reduce emissions in a tough financial climate

24/11/2021

Emily See explores how carbon-reduction demands are pressuring councils to improve highways lifecycle planning.

Manchester hopes to trial use of zebra markings at side roads

09/11/2021

Greater Manchester’s mayor and transport commissioner have written to the transport secretary seeking permission for a mass trial of zebra markings at side roads after new evidence showed that they lead to a 65% increase in drivers giving way.

Spending Review conceals local road cuts

29/10/2021

Road maintenance funding for councils not receiving settlements through combined authorities appears to be facing a cut of around £200m over three years following the Spending Review - more if you add inflation.

Budget 2021: National Highways faces £3.4bn funding cut

27/10/2021

National Highways is facing a major funding cut of some £3.4bn after today’s Budget, with the total for the second Road Investment Strategy (RIS 2) dropping dramatically from the £27.4bn announced last year to £24bn.

ULEZ expansion 'a lifeline for Londoners'

25/10/2021

As London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) sees a massive expansion, a think tank has called on mayor Sadiq Khan to go further and introduce a pay-per-mile road user charging scheme.

Cabinet backs 20-20 vision for Oxfordshire

20/10/2021

Councillors in Oxfordshire have backed plans for widespread 20mph limits as part of an ‘ambitious and innovative’ new transport plan that aims to create a ‘healthier, better digitally connected, more active’ county.

Councils warn local road maintenance budgets face £400m cut

11/10/2021

Funding for local road maintenance has been cut by £400m this year, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.

Council chiefs warn driver shortages could hit gritting services

11/10/2021

Local authority leaders have warned that driver shortages could affect gritting services this winter.

New 50mph speed limits in Wales to be enforced

28/09/2021

Motorists exceeding the 50mph speed limits on some of the most polluted roads in Wales could face fines, the Welsh government has warned.

Oxfordshire plans wave of 20mph zones

03/09/2021

Oxfordshire CC has suggested 85% of the county's 30mph roads could be reduced to 20mph, as part of a programme kicking off in the village of Cuxham this month.

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Planner (Development Management Wandsworth)

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth
Salary From £30,483-£44,139 Depending on Skills
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Recuriter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Principal Planning Officer

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth
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Recuriter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Pensions Officer

West Northamptonshire Council
£33369 - £36163
The Pensions Officer role sits within the Operations Team & is responsible for pension administration tasks including processing benefit calculations, data input and validation, responding to queries from members, employers, pensioners and dependents, pee Northampton
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Essex County Council
Up to £16.0000 per hour
Workshop Fitter Canvey Island, Essex £16 per Hour Temporary Contract Closing Date
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Sustainable Transport Officer – Low Emission Vehicle Infrastructure

Derbyshire County Council
£30,054 - £31,963 per annum
Derbyshire County Council is looking for a dynamic and committed Sustainable Transport Officer. Matlock/Hybrid
Recuriter: Derbyshire County Council
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Circular highways is a necessity not an aspiration – and it’s within our grasp

Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.

Support from Effective Energy Group for Local Authorities to Deliver £430m Sustainable Warmth Funded Energy Efficiency Projects

Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.

Pay.UK – the next step in Bacs’ evolution

Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.