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Union connectivity review: setting a four-nations approach to cross-border transport investment

Freddie Hopkinson Senior Transport Policy Adviser, CBI

The CBI's evidence to Sir Peter Hendy’s review calls for a more coordinated approach from all UK governments to solving the country’s connectivity issues.

04 Jan 2021, 3 min read

Responding to pressure from the CBI and other business groups, the government has commissioned Sir Peter Hendy to review how the quality of transport infrastructure can support economic growth and quality of life across the whole of the UK. The Union Connectivity Review is an important opportunity for businesses in each of the four UK nations to drive a more joined-up approach to investment in transport networks. This will be critical for securing economic integration and sustainable growth in the months and years to come.  

Following consultation with members, the CBI has submitted its evidence to the Union Connectivity Review setting out the priorities for investment in transport links that can drive improvements in productivity, meet net zero carbon emissions obligations and reduce in regional inequality. 

To achieve these aims, business recommends that governments across the UK work together to: 

  • Use strategic investments in connectivity to spread opportunity across regional and national borders. This will mean investment in improving access to both UK and global markets. 
  • Set out a clear strategy for reforming transport governance and project assessment to ensure that borderlands are at the centre, not the periphery, of decision making. This will involve creating a replacement for the EU TEN-T network, as well as reforming how decision making about investments in UK-wide transport networks is structured.
  • Make existing UK transport infrastructure future-ready. This will be driven by investment to improve existing assets and ensure that they are ready to meet up-coming challenges to decarbonise travel, make journeys more reliable, and improve user experiences. 

Read the full submission

Next steps 

Looking ahead, the CBI will be looking to continue engagement with Sir Peter Hendy and his team as they work towards publishing the findings of their review later in the year. This document should be seen as the starting point for a much longer conversation about the role of transport investment in driving growth across all four nations of the UK going forward. 

If you would like to discuss our work on improving transport connectivity across the UK or other infrastructure projects, please contact Freddie Hopkinson.