APM responds to Budget announcements

The latest Budget announced by the UK Government included many announcements regarding housing, transport, infrastructure and other important projects.

Revealing his new spending plans, which focused on a post-COVID-19 economy, Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced:

• Investing £21bn for roads
• Investing £46bn on rail
• £5.7bn for transport schemes
• Funding for busses, cycling and walking of more than £5bn
• £1.8bn will be invested by the government to bring 1,500 hectares of brownfield land into use for new housing
• £11.5bn to build up to 180,000 new affordable homes.

Mr Sunak commented: “Today’s budget does not draw a line under COVID. We have challenging times ahead…but today’s budget does begin the work of preparing for a new economy post-COVID.

“Our success will be measured not by the billions we spend but by the outcomes we achieve and the difference we make to people’s lives.”

Responding to the announcements on transport, APM’s chief executive, Prof Adam Boddison, said: “Whilst the potential benefits of today’s transport funding announcement are clear, they need to be delivered with both a sustainable and sustained approach in mind, and have a strong focus on the needs of successful project delivery. We hope this investment will be used to help upskill those tasked with planning and delivering these projects.”

On housing, Prof Boddison commented: “Building homes for the future is one of the most important projects any government can undertake. As the chartered body for the project profession, we hope this investment will help support the skills needed for planning and delivering housing projects. Good project outcomes require the right conditions for success. Any announcement of new initiatives must be matched by the capability and commitment to deliver them well.”