Open letter signed by Arup, Mace and Costain chiefs says next PM needs to work with industry more closely
The bosses of Arup, Mace and Costain are among several names to have written an open letter to the main party leaders, urging them to commit to spending on infrastructure.
Jerome Frost, Mark Reynolds and Alex Vaughan have been joined by the leaders of Hitachi, Siemens Mobility, Associated British Ports, Bruntwood and Manchester Airport calling for investment in infrastructure.
The letter said: “Our next prime minister has big choices to make. We will get behind any government that is prepared to commit to a long term infrastructure plan and we also understand that the challenges we face as a country will take time to fix.
“As the leaders of the UK’s main political parties, we call on you to recognise the importance of infrastructure, by working in closer partnership with industry to fund and deliver our critical infrastructure needs to give it the focus it deserves both in this election and in government.”
And it added: “Today, a pound on infrastructure is treated the same as a pound on benefits. Building a new mass transit system is accounted for the same as if the Department for Transport had spent it on stationary. The rules of the game are broken, and we need a stronger Office for Budget Responsibility to help sort out the mess we are in. We can see the economic consequences of failing to invest for the long term – higher borrowing over the decades to come.”
Election focus
With the UK set for a general election on 4 July, the country is facing some serious problems.
Low growth, flatlining productivity, question marks over net zero funding and capability, skills shortages and a worsening housing crisis all amount to a daunting in-tray for the next government.
This year’s general election therefore has very high stakes for the built environment and the economy as a whole. For this reason,
Building’s election coverage aims to help the industry understand the issues and amplify construction’s voice so that the parties hears it loud and clear.
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