Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of flexible permitting schemes for works on roads by broadband and utility providers on changes in the level of spending by local authorities.

The Department for Transport consulted in 2021 on a proposal to allow flexi permits for certain types of works and published a response in 2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/street-manager-and-permit-scheme-changes.

The proposal was not supported at the time on the basis of limited evidence that was presented in the impact assessment that accompanied the consultation.

The Government committed to carry out trials to develop the design for flexi permits and to carry out further assessments. We are working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology who are funding the trials. Work has been underway since the end of 2023 and will continue until autumn 2024.