Worsening state of roads has increased logistics costs, manufacturers warn
Manufacturers are urging the UK Government to make repairing the country’s roads a priority after complaining about years of under investment.
More than half of manufacturers believe the UK’s roads have deteriorated in the past decade, new research suggests.
A survey of 390 firms by Make UK showed that just over half said the worsening state of roads led to increased logistics costs and reduced access to skilled workers.
Underinvestment
Stephen Phipson, chief executive of Make UK, said: “Following years of underinvestment, this new Government now needs to be bold on its infrastructure investment and realise the productivity improvements of doing so.
“At the top of this agenda must be repairing our roads, with British manufacturers wanting to see an immediate focus on A-roads and motorways.
“To help make this happen, manufacturers want to see more local decision-making and support for local authorities to speed up planning processes.
“Increased investment in local bus networks to connect out-of-town areas would also give more young people the chance to work in the well-paid manufacturing sector, while long-term rail projects are desperately needed to connect more east-west connections to truly deliver an equal share of opportunities around the whole of the UK.”
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Perhaps they are really dinosaur footprints.
I was just going to say the same, Unless you are under 12 media won’t take any notice of dinosaur print being “(re)-discovered”
Basic maintenance has not been carried out for years, road markings erased by weather and traffic, signs swallowed by vegetation or covered in grime, gulleys and drains full of stuff, let alone the road surfaces revealing the original Roman cobbles..
That is before we get onto the really important and expensive stuff like education or hospitals.
What are the councils doing with the money the taxpayer pays them for road maintenance. Oh, I know, they spend it on things like refurbishing an old market at £4,000,000 and a country park at £12,000,000 as reported on here a few days ago. This total lack of maintenance is going to cost us dearly when they decide to re-lay the roads. I have been thinking of replacing my car with a horse and cart.
To be fair to councils often such projects are the result of funding bids to funds (lottery in case of Wrexham market refurbishment) that cannot be used for other purposes and the council budgets have been blown apart by charges taking kids into care since all such work has been outsourced and investments funds, who now run these services, now want to strip the public realm of tax receipts.