Government invests in innovation with ₤30m for cutting edge highway decarbonisation projects

CUTTING edge, innovative ideas to decarbonise the country's Highways will be brought to life thanks to tens of millions of pounds in Government funding. The ₤30 million Live Labs 2 competition, funded by the Department for Transport, was announced on Thursday, 7 April 2022. The funding will support pioneering projects looking at ways to decarbonise local Highways infrastructure in Regions across the UK. There will be a particular focus on making the construction, maintenance and running of the UK's roads more sustainable. Now in its 2nd round of funding, the competition, organised by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT), is the latest move in the Government's drive to create cleaner air and reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said:- "Investing in innovation is a priority for this Government. That's why we're supporting Local Highways Authorities to develop cutting edge projects and help drive our decarbonisation mission. Our ₤30 million investment will go towards a greener, safer transport landscape. It will help create green, high-skilled jobs across the country and I look forward to seeing these innovative ideas brought to life."

The launch of the 2nd round of the competition follows the success of the 1st ₤22.9m Live Labs programme which launched in May 2019, and supported the creation of 8 local projects testing innovative solutions on local roads.

Previous projects included:- fibre cables which detect vibrations from vehicles and dynamically change signal junctions to combat congestion; trials involving drones to detect potholes in Kent; and plastic roads in Cumbria to boost value for money in the construction of Highways.

Staffordshire County Council also secured the expertise of 2 industry leaders to install plant based:- 'living walls' to tackle roadside emissions. The walls act as natural filters made from plants and mosses as part of a national clean air trial.

Meanwhile, Buckinghamshire Council and Suffolk County Council demonstrated how the application of smart transport technology can be expanded to offer greater social value than initially anticipated. Their project involved re-purposing road sensors, typically used to monitor traffic volumes and weather conditions, to be used in adult social care. The technology was additionally used to allow vulnerable people to live independently for longer by installing the sensors around a house to monitor daily activities, sending signals to carers when needed.

Paula Hewitt, ADEPT President, said:- "ADEPT is delighted to be able to move ahead on Live Labs 2 with this new round of DfT funding and support. The Highways and transport sector is the UK's single biggest carbon emitter and although we are seeing a transition to electric vehicles, there is a huge gap where we are yet to tackle road infrastructure and maintenance. Local Authorities are perfectly placed to lead the drive to create net zero Highways and local roads from the bottom up. The Live Labs format has proven particularly successful for Highways Authorities, enabling rapid change, innovation and experimentation. Following the success of the 1st ADEPT SMART Places Live Labs programme, Live Labs 2 aims to build on the partnerships between DfT, councils, commercial partners, SMEs and academia to deliver scalable zero carbon objectives with potential for commercialisation and applicability to diverse areas across the UK."

The ADEPT Live Labs initiative demonstrates the Government's commitment to investing in innovation to decarbonise the UK's transport network, making it greener and more efficient for all. By issuing significant investments for each project, the fund aims to help LHA's and enterprises develop and propel their ideas to market even quicker.

New Levy not enough for social care

CARE England, the largest and most diverse representative body for social care providers, has stated that the Government's Health and Social Care Levy, due to come into effect, will not deliver the appropriate amount of additional funding to stabilise the adult social care sector.

Professor Martin Green, Chief Executive of Care England, says:- "This new Levy was billed as providing extra resources for social care, but in truth, it will not even touch the sides of the need in our sector, and the majority of the money will go to the NHS. The social care sector has been subjected to years of underfunding destabilising the financial sustainability of the sector. This has only been exacerbated by the Covid Pandemic. The pretence that this money generated by the Levy is going to solve the social care funding crisis is nothing more than a confidence trick played on the public. Care England is calling for at least ˝ the money generated through the Levy to go into social care in order to stabilise the system and give our dedicated staff significant increases in their pay and conditions."

Since Wednesday, 6 April 2022, the Health and Social Care Levy will came into effect with the aim of raising billions to help tackle the Covid backlogs and reform the adult social care system.

According to the Gov.UK press release, over the next 3 years, a record ₤39 billion will be invested in the health and social care system to ensure it has the long term resource it needs to provide world class care, while delivering the biggest catch up programme in the NHS' history.

If no further funding is provisioned from October 2023, the scale of financial deficit borne by adult social care providers could range from ₤0.41bn to ₤1.303bn up to 4 times more than has been made available by Government currently, a deficit incapable of being absorbed by both councils and care homes from October 2023. The LaingBuisson central estimate assumes a 50% take up of Section 18 and would require an additional ₤0.85bn of funding by Government.

Martin Green continues:- "Based upon the current funding arrangements, the health service will not see the benefits of a strong social care sector and will continue to feel these unnecessary pressures, fuelling an expensive NHS centric cycle of acute care."

So what are your thoughts on this? Please email them to:-  News24@SouthportReporter.Com.