Under the terms of the ‘What Good Looks Like’ pledge, businesses will informed of planned works in advance and given the opportunity to feed into decisions on, for example, road closures.
There is also a commitment to ensure contracted work is of a high standard and regularly inspected by utilities and highway authorities.
Councils have also agreed to adopt a more flexible approach to business deliveries, through, for example, temporary changes to parking restrictions and enforcement.
Peter Box, chair of the Local Government Association’s economy and transport board, said the disruption and inconvenience caused by essential streetworks could only be resolved by councils, utility firms and businesses getting around the table to find a solution.
‘This pledge is an indication of where councils, utility companies and businesses want to be and we will all sit down again later this year to gauge its success,’ he said.
‘We are all committed to working together to minimise the disruption of street works on residents and businesses and this joint commitment has been designed to drive improvement forward. ‘Regardless of who does the work on the highway, we will all work together to adopt the best practices set out in the statement.’
The pledge follows LGA research, published in December 2012, which highlighted the negative effects streetworks can have on small businesses.
