DfT consultationBy Vivienne Russell
1 March 2010
Local authorities in England will be able to collect fines of up to £25,000 a day from utility companies that allow roadworks to overrun, ministers have proposed.
This is ten times the amount that councils can currently charge. Authorities will be able to keep any money raised from overrun charges according to the plans, published for consultation by the Department for Transport today.
The DfT also published proposals for a tougher inspection regime, which would give local councils more power to charge utility companies for re-inspecting sites that fail to meet required safety standards.
Transport minister Sadiq Khan said problem roadworks cost the economy about £4.2bn each year.
He said: ‘There is no excuse for those companies who allow their works to drag on for longer than they should, causing inconvenience and frustration for the travelling public.
‘The new charges and tougher inspection regime will provide a strong incentive for utilities to finish works on time or pay for the disruption they cause.’
The firms will not be permitted to pass the cost of these charges on to their customers.
The two consultations on increasing overrun charges and the new inspection regime can be found on the DfT website.
1 March 2010
Local authorities in England will be able to collect fines of up to £25,000 a day from utility companies that allow roadworks to overrun, ministers have proposed.
This is ten times the amount that councils can currently charge. Authorities will be able to keep any money raised from overrun charges according to the plans, published for consultation by the Department for Transport today.
The DfT also published proposals for a tougher inspection regime, which would give local councils more power to charge utility companies for re-inspecting sites that fail to meet required safety standards.
Transport minister Sadiq Khan said problem roadworks cost the economy about £4.2bn each year.
He said: ‘There is no excuse for those companies who allow their works to drag on for longer than they should, causing inconvenience and frustration for the travelling public.
‘The new charges and tougher inspection regime will provide a strong incentive for utilities to finish works on time or pay for the disruption they cause.’
The firms will not be permitted to pass the cost of these charges on to their customers.
The two consultations on increasing overrun charges and the new inspection regime can be found on the DfT website.
