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The first driller to start drilling the tunnel for HS2 in west London
The government is moving too slowly with its infrastructure projects to meet its economic and climate goals, a new report suggests.
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) said it should focus on fewer, bigger and more focused initiatives for growth and a lower-carbon economy.
It said coverage with hyper-fast broadband has improved but progress in UK households’ energy efficiency is “negligible”.
The government said it was committed to net zero.
The commission said progress toward key infrastructure goals has stalled over the past year “as has the need for acceleration.”
“In a number of areas the government has lost track of achieving its goals and ambitions,” the panel of independent experts said.
The NIC called for a “greater sense of security” over the progress of HS2, which the government said earlier this month was delayed by two years.
Similarly, more clarity is needed on Northern Powerhouse Rail – a vital rail system for the north of England – stressing that delays will inevitably erode the economic benefits to communities.
There has been positive growth in broadband and renewable power, both of which have had “relatively stable political environments,” the report said.
However, the NIC was critical of installing low-carbon heating solutions or ensuring a sustainable balance in the water supply. The report pointed to the gap between ambition and reality: the government aims to install at least 600,000 heat pumps each year by 2028, but only 55,000 were installed in 2021.
In the meantime, 1.5 million gas boilers have been installed, the commission said.
It noted that the government wants to install 300,000 public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations by 2030, but 37,000 are in place.
The commission said the government needed “political staying power” to achieve long-term goals.
It called on the government to move away from “small-scale funding and repeated consultations” to focus on fewer but larger projects and give regional centers more funding and decision-making powers. The “unlocking” of the planning system for nationally important infrastructure projects is the first big step.
It identified 10 priorities, including accelerating improvements in household energy efficiency and accelerating the roll-out of public charging stations for electric vehicles.
It also stressed the need to finalize proposals on water efficiency labeling and new building codes to meet the consumption target of 110 liters per day by 2050. “Investment environment more demanding”.
“Ambitious and stable government policies, along with effective regulation, are crucial to give the private sector the certainty it needs to invest,” the report says.
In a statement, a Treasury spokesman said: “We are committed to achieving our net zero targets and are spending £12.6 billion this decade to cut the national energy consumption by 15%.
“Delivering quality infrastructure is the foundation of our future growth and we have maintained our overall investment at record levels over the next five years, with the Commission recognizing our progress in deploying gigabit broadband and generating electricity from renewable sources.”
Earlier in March, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government would invest more than $40 billion across the country over the next two fiscal years.
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