TO BE PUBLISHED July 2025
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This conference will discuss priorities for roads in England, focusing on next steps for infrastructure, maintenance, and long-term investment. It will be an opportunity for policymakers and stakeholders to examine priorities for both the Strategic Road Network and local roads, in the context of evolving national strategy, growing regional demand, and pressures on capital and maintenance budgets. Sessions look at funding, delivery and innovation, and key issues around governance and environmental impact.
Government strategy and funding
Delegates will assess the Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3), which is expected to be published following the government's Spending Review. With the implementation of RIS3 deferred to April 2026 to align with the new Spending Review timetable, discussion will also focus on the Strategic Road Network: Interim Settlement 2025-2026 and priorities for application of the National Highways one-year financial settlement of £4.8bn in funding to maintain and enhance the network during the transition period.
Project planning and funding
Sessions in the agenda consider the balance between maintenance needs and major infrastructure ambitions, looking at how projects are assessed and how funding decisions take account of different regional needs. We expect discussion to reflect views on whether current funding allocations give sufficient weight to maintenance and environmental priorities, and on calls from some stakeholders for rebalancing investment away from major capital projects.
As policymakers weigh how best to allocate public funds, encourage investment in major infrastructure, and reward effective delivery, attendees will consider the use of performance-linked funding, how it might affect local and national planning, and strategic approaches for improving engagement with private finance to support schemes of national significance, such as the Lower Thames Crossing.
Discussion is also expected on how the transition to RIS3 might impact delivery capability, investor confidence, and regional investment pipelines, particularly in areas where concerns have been raised for deferred projects regarding potential impacts on development and economic growth. This will be considered in the context of recent developments such as the £330m northern transport investment announced in March 2025.
Governance, oversight and performance frameworks
Delegates will assess what is needed to support local authorities and National Highways in meeting funding and policy expectations, including the use of preventative maintenance, performance frameworks, and systems for demonstrating compliance. Discussion will reflect on the structural funding gap and implications of the £1.6bn local highway maintenance funding, including the £500m uplift linked to transparency measures.
Sessions will address the resilience of strategic freight routes and design options for reducing delays on high-traffic corridors, examining how freight connectivity considerations might influence broader transport investment decisions.
Innovation
Sessions will also consider priorities for digital innovation, and how developments in road twinning, autonomous systems and intelligent materials might be deployed to best support emissions reduction, performance improvement, and cost-effectiveness in both new and existing programmes.
Fuel duty and alternative funding
Further sessions will examine implications of declining fuel duty revenues and options for long-term funding reform, including road pricing. Delegates will consider how models such as pay-per-mile pricing could affect different road user groups, and assess potential equity challenges for rural and lower-income areas.
Decarbonisation and environmental impact
Areas for discussion include the role of road infrastructure in supporting the UK’s net zero targets, including next steps for electric vehicle integration and using carbon measures in planning and funding decisions. Delegates will assess how different approaches to road maintenance, such as early repairs and longer-lasting materials could help lower costs and reduce carbon emissions. Further sessions will look at how to limit the environmental impact of road projects, including protecting natural habitats, improving climate impact assessments, and coordinating more effectively with utilities to avoid unnecessary costs, disruption and delays.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include officials from DfT; DSIT; DBT; ORR; NISTA; and Ofwat.
