Budget lacks detail on roads, rail, airports and sustainability
As expected, Covid impact and recovery took centre stage in chancellor Rishi Sunak’s second Budget statement yesterday but there was plenty of reason for the civil engineering industry to be positive about in the announcements, particularly with confirmation of the UK Infrastructure Bank.
The plans for the bank were widely welcomed, however, industry reaction suggests that the lack of mention of roads, rail and airports during the speech is reflected in the lack of clarity created by documents released after the speech ended.
Rail
Rail Industry Alliance chief executive Darren Caplan said: “It is good to see the chancellor clarify a number of the government’s plans for infrastructure, including the establishment of a UK Infrastructure Bank based in Leeds and the £4.8bn ‘levelling up’ fund opening for infrastructure around the UK.
Pledge To Net Zero, the initiative tackling greenhouse gas emissions within the UK’s environmental services sector, has formally joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Race to Zero campaign.
Race To Zero is a global campaign to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors and universities for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth. All members are committed to the same overarching goal: achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the very latest.
Pledge To Net Zero was launched in late 2019 to convene fast climate action in the UK’s environmental sector. So far, 73 firms and Institutions have joined up, covering around 80% of the UK environmental consulting market and 60,000 UK employees.