Call for infrastructure investment to be speeded up for roads

16 September 2011

Posted by Michelle Devonshire

Plans to speed up investment in the UK's networks by the Government have been welcomed, with business leaders highlighting the need for a focus on roads.

According to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), its latest 'Voice of Small Business' discovered that companies estimate the poor state of highways in Britain cost them an average of £5,000 each per year.

It noted that accelerating investment in major schemes could help to unlock economic growth and reduce delays caused by congestion at a time when budgets for smaller enterprises are particularly tight.

However, the FSB has insisted that selecting 40 of the largest infrastructure projects to expedite investment should not be at the expense of ongoing maintenance of the nation's roads.

"It is vital that the Government rebalances the amount spent on the road network with the amount collected so that small firms can get on with the job at hand of growing the economy," stated John Walker, National Chairman of the FSB.

Speaking to the London School of Economics recently, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, stated that the Government is committed to getting large infrastructure developments off the ground in order to generate jobs and boost productivity.