The UK’s independent adviser on infrastructure, the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), has released a new report which says the UK government must “go big” where it counts to hit economic and climate goals.
The UK government must develop stronger staying power and focus on fewer, bigger, better-targeted initiatives to deliver the infrastructure needed to meet its long-term goals for economic growth and a lower carbon economy, the NIC has said.
The last year has seen progress towards major infrastructure objectives “stutter further just as the need for acceleration has heightened”, the National Infrastructure Commission says, warning that “in a range of areas government is off track to meet its targets and ambitions”.
The Commission’s annual Infrastructure Progress Review has highlighted continued growth in renewable electricity, which it notes has enjoyed a relatively stable policy environment.
However, the report criticises “negligible advances in improving the energy efficiency of UK homes, the installation of low carbon heating solutions or securing a sustainable balance of water supply and demand,” which it says has been subject to a more short term and changeable approach in recent years.
The Commission recommends government embed four principles in its policy making over the next year.
The report points out that government has set a target for at least 600,000 heat pumps to be installed each year by 2028, while only 55,000 were fitted in 2021 – meanwhile, 1.5 million gas boilers were fitted. Similarly, government expects 300,000 public electric vehicle charge points to be in place by 2030 but only 37,000 public charge points are currently installed, according to the report.
As part of its review, the Commission recommends government embed four principles in its policy making over the next year: develop staying power to achieve long-term goals, focus on fewer, but bigger and better interventions from central government, devolve funding and decision making to local areas and remove barriers to delivery on the ground.
The Commission says it will publish a review on how to accelerate the planning system for major infrastructure projects later this spring. This will be followed in the autumn by the second National Infrastructure Assessment, setting out costed recommendations on infrastructure priorities for the next 30 years.
