Member Article

Infrastructure professionals think Brexit will make it harder to deliver improvements to the UK

With the UK’s impending departure from the EU casting uncertainty over the future, half of those surveyed called for clearer direction from central government as key to improving the nation’s infrastructure. A similar proportion called for more attention to be paid to projects outside London, with innovation, skills and better collaboration between sectors also identified as priorities.

The research by the National Infrastructure Forum as part of the Public Sector Show also finds six in ten people involved in planning and delivering infrastructure projects across the UK think that leaving the EU will make it harder to deliver improvements to the nation’s infrastructure.

When it comes to infrastructure spending priorities, 75% chose digital (5G/full fibre broadband), which is almost three times as many people compared to air capacity (27%), while seven in ten (72%) opted for energy over just four in ten (40%) favouring the nation’s roads.

Dr Jennifer Schooling, Director of the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction at the University of Cambridge, said: “Digitalisation of our civil infrastructure offers huge opportunity for us to improve the way we design, make and operate our vital infrastructure lifelines. This is a key area for both government and industry to invest.”

Dr Jennifer Schooling will both be speaking at The Public Sector Show at the ExCel London on Tuesday 26th June and is free to attend for those working in the public sector. Find out more and register here: https://bit.ly/2kXHmtn

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rebecca .