Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of road closures to prevent vehicles disturbing standing water that has collected after heavy rainfall on properties at risk of flooding.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The organisational responsibilities and operational processes for local road closures due to flooding are generally held by the Highways Department of the relevant local authority and the Emergency Services. Local private roads are the responsibility of the relevant landowner.
Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. Section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 allows for local highway authorities to close roads temporarily when there is likelihood of danger to the public or the possibility of serious damage to the highway.
The Environment Agency works with local authorities in advance of potential flooding to advise them about current and predicted water levels, the local authority will then decide on whether to close roads. In many cases the extent of roads likely to be affected by flooding is well understood and arrangements to manage closures well-rehearsed.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve oversight and coordination of road works undertaken by local authorities and utilities companies.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government supports lane rental as an effective measure to reduce congestion from the most disruptive works by incentivising better planning. It allows highway authorities to charge up to £2,500 per day for works on the busiest roads at peak times, incentivising quicker completion, off-peak scheduling, or alternative locations. We are facilitating the expansion of lane rental schemes, with updated guidance and application templates to be published shortly.
The Department’s digital service, Street Manager, is used by all highway authorities and utility companies in England to plan and manage works. Permits are applied for and granted through the service before works commence, providing a single source of information for the sector. This enables authorities to identify potential conflicts before approving permits. We also publish open data on live and planned works in real time, allowing developers to create tools that inform road users about disruptions.
Street Manager continues to evolve. Recent updates have enhanced coordination by highlighting potential clashes and improving collaboration features. In 2026, new functionality will support works on lane rental streets. Additionally, the new digital traffic orders system will centralise information on temporary road closures, making these details available as open data for wider public use.
The Department issues statutory guidance through the Code of Practice for the Co-ordination of Street and Road Works. We are currently working with industry stakeholders via the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee to update this guidance with the aim of further improving coordination.
From January 2026, fixed penalty notices for certain street works offences, such as working without a permit or breaching permit conditions will double. Charges of up to £10,000 per day for overrunning works will also apply to weekends and bank holidays. These measures aim to strengthen compliance and improve coordination across the network.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the Signs for road works and temporary situations guidance to recommend that in cases of road closures the name of the road is included in signage that says 'Road Closed Ahead'.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department recognises that clearer signage can help drivers make informed decisions. Including road names on ‘Road Closed Ahead’ signs may improve clarity, but it also raises safety concerns due to potential driver distraction. Its usefulness also depends on drivers’ familiarity with local road networks. Digital tools such as Street Manager and navigation apps already provide detailed location information, complementing physical signage. The Government will consider this suggestion with relevant stakeholders as part of ongoing work to improve street works communication and safety.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57937 on Roads: Closures, whether her Department has considered introducing a centralised digital platform to improve transparency and real-time coordination between (a) statutory undertakers, (b) HS2 Ltd and (c) local authorities during roadworks planning and implementation.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
My department has already introduced Street Manager, our digital service that is used by all highway authorities and statutory undertakers in England. Our online service allows highway authorities to plan and manage street and road works on their road network. HS2 Ltd also uses this service. We stream open data on live and planned works that is made available to the public via apps and websites.
Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) can be used during works to regulate or restrict use of a road. My department has been developing a central publication platform, known as D-TRO (digital TRO service). The service will improve efficiency and provide real time updates on restrictions. It is currently in private beta testing with a selection of authorities.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57937 on Roads: Closures, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Code of Practice for the Co-ordination of Street and Road Works in reducing levels of disruption caused by overlapping works from (a) statutory bodies and (b) HS2 Ltd.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
My department provides the statutory code of practice for the co-ordination of street and road works. It is not possible to assess the effectiveness of this code of practice alone in reducing disruption. The code of practice is one tool amongst many others, including other legislation, statutory guidance and guidance that enables highway authorities to coordinate works on their network and reduce disruption caused by overlapping works.
HS2 Ltd also use a range of mitigation measures to manage disruption across the route and keep local communities informed. To help coordinate works with other parties in the area, HS2 Ltd uses traffic management plans, and holds regular local traffic liaison meetings with highway authorities along the route.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57937 on Roads: Closures, what mechanisms are in place to ensure accountability when coordination between HS2 Ltd and local authorities fails to prevent avoidable road closures or extended disruption.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Highway authorities have a duty to coordinate works on the highway. HS2 Ltd holds regular local traffic liaison meetings with highway authorities to assist with this. Whilst traffic disruption is inevitable on a project of HS2’s scale, HS2 Ltd is committed to ensuring that this is minimised as far as reasonably practicable. This includes ensuring that any plans for road closures or works that may cause extended disruption are scrutinised carefully to ensure that they cannot be avoided and that appropriate mitigations are put in place.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure effective coordination between (a) statutory bodies, (b) water companies, (c) HS2 Ltd and (d) local authorities to help reduce disruption when (i) planning and (ii) implementing road closures.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Sections 59 and 60 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 places a duty on local highway authorities and statutory undertakers (including water companies) to co-ordinate works in order minimise inconvenience for road users and for safety. This is supported by the Code of Practice for the Co-ordination of Street and Road Works produced by my Department to ensure that, although there will always be some disruption from road and street works, these are minimised. Where road closures are unavoidable as part of construction of HS2, contractors work closely with relevant local highway authorities to minimise disruption to local communities.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to fine utility companies for inconvenience caused when their roadworks overrun.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Utility companies are already incentivised to complete works on time with charges of up to £10,000 per day for works that overrun. We have announced that these charges will apply to weekends and bank holidays. We are also doubling fixed penalty notices for companies that breach permit conditions. These conditions can include setting days and times when works can take place.
Asked by: Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to incentivise utility companies to not overrun on roadworks.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Utility companies are already incentivised to complete works on time with charges of up to £10,000 per day for works that overrun. We have announced that these charges will apply to weekends and bank holidays. We are also doubling fixed penalty notices for companies that breach permit conditions. These conditions can include setting days and times when works can take place.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many roads were closed during flooding in (a) Bedfordshire, (b) the East of England and (c) nationally in (i) 2024 and (ii) the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department recognises the profound importance of our country’s road network in moving people, goods, and services around the country. The impact of closing roads will vary greatly depending on the roads in question and on the scale and severity of the flooding.
The Government does not keep centralised lists of local road closures during periods of severe weather and flooding, either in Bedfordshire or nationally. These are matters for local highway authorities.
Bedford Council and Central Bedfordshire Council, as the relevant local highway authorities for Bedfordshire, are responsible for the management of their respective local networks, including making operational network decisions in the event of severe weather events including flooding.
On a national basis, management of the English highway network is the responsibility of over 150 highway authorities, who make operational decisions based on the scope and severity of severe weather affecting their area.