The National Infrastructure Committee has published its Infrastructure Progress Review 2022.
The committee finds that the Government is not currently on track to deliver infrastructure changes required to hit net zero by 2050, level up the UK or improve our climate resilience. It warns that Government is at risk of failing to deliver the aims of its National Infrastructure Strategy unless it picks up the pace with detailed policy design and implementation.
A number of areas covered within the report are relevant to the automotive industry. In particular, within the ‘Transport’ sector, the report recommends the following actions for the year ahead.
To achieve tangible improvements in local transport, the Government must:
- Move away from competitive bidding for multiple, centrally controlled, short term funding pots and make fast progress towards devolving five year integrated funding settlements for transport spending to local authorities outside the city region combined authorities
- Support local authorities in developing plans for major urban transport schemes in a number of priority cities, including plans to develop a mass transit system for West Yorkshire
- Initiate a step change in the rate of deployment of charge points to get on track to deliver the infrastructure needed to facilitate the 2030 end to new diesel and petrol car and van sales
The NIC is particularly concerned about the current pace of progress in “Electric vehicle charging infrastructure”. The report highlighted the current roll out of electric vehicle charge points is “too slow” – Between 280,000 to 480,000 charge points will be needed by 2030 to enable the shift to electric vehicles. By the end of 2021, only around 25,000 charge points had been installed.
