Greater clarity about the Government’s transport priorities has emerged from chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s controversial ‘Mini Budget’, focusing on achieving economic growth as the over-riding priority, including a mission to fast-track more than 100 road, rail and local transport projects by streamlining the assessment, approval and planning process. The list of schemes was set out in a “Plan for Growth”, published alongside the Chancellor’s statement. 

As well as indicating where transport expenditure will be concentrated in the coming two years ahead of the next General Election, the Chancellor’s proposals have provoked concern and opposition about the way the decision-making and implementation about transport policies and projects is set to change, and what this means for those initiatives not achieving a boost to GDP – for example, those relating to decarbonisation, promotion of active travel and Levelling Up.