The announcement was made alongside the Govermment’s spending plans by Treasury Minister Danny Alexander who said: ‘An organisation that will have the long-term funding certainty and flexibility to deliver the best possible road network for the UK’s motorists.
‘And we are legislating to ensure these reforms and this investment is guaranteed.’
In response, RHA chief executive Geoff Dunning said of the news: ‘The potential is there for the new body to drive up standards and we look forward to seeing the details on issues such as engagement, transparency, accountability, the standards to be achieved, funding, use of information and user charging.
‘An important issue, particularly for road hauliers, will be the approach of the Highways Agency to the provision and use of appropriate, secure, truck parking facilities.’
Meanwhile, James Hookham, FTA’s managing director – policy & communications, said: ‘Today’s announcement about the transformation of the Highways Agency into a publicly owned corporation and the provision of security in longer term planning is a must and has been FTA’s desired approach for some time.
‘The Government has acknowledged that money has been wasted by stop-start plans for road investment in the past, and we will carefully assess the legislation that is brought forward to reform the Agency to ensure that it delivers the required service levels and priorities for FTA members.’
