Summer 2025 brings changes to English street works regulations. Understanding these new policies is important for businesses to avoid extra costs.
A tightening up of existing regulations and extra fines
Plans to reform street works fines, penalties, and the use of surplus lane rental funds culminated with a consultation period (Jan-March 2024), and led to the following measures:
· Increases to fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for street works offencesAfter almost two decades staying at the same level, fines are set to double. The aim is to encourage compliance, help congestion, and reduce the impact on transport links. Supporting arguments said that the effect of FPNs has been eroded by not raising fines in line with inflation.
· Charges for overrunning street works to be extended to weekends and bank holidays and not just weekdaysWith equivalent levels of road use on weekends and bank holidays as there is on weekdays, the intention here is to remove a loophole where companies leave works up longer than necessary, and to avoid the resultant disruption.
· Local authorities with lane rental schemes must use at least 50% of any surplus funds on pothole repairs or resurfacingAimed at addressing the pothole issue[1], local authorities will need to use a significant portion of their surplus funds on addressing the problem. Setting the level at 50% ‘would mean that funds would still be available for innovation projects and to mitigate the effects on congestion’.
The consultation was carried out alongside the highway authority, utility companies, the public, specific roads firms, and others.[1]
The consultation was carried out alongside the highway authority, utility companies, the public, specific roads firms, and others
A closer look at the regulations
The government updated their street works lane rental guidance to address concerns voiced during the consultation, and to add some clarity to the changes:
FPNs
Offences cover NRSWA offences:
· late registration of a reinstatement
· late submission of works start and stop notices
· late registration of lane rental works start and stop notices
And permit offences:
· working without a permit and breaching permit conditions
How much are the new fines?
Fines have been doubled, set to £240 full charge and £160 discounted charge for NRSWA offences and breaching permit conditions, and £1,000 full charge and £600 discounted charge for working without a permit.
This is the first increase in the level of fines since 2007, and received significant support from the public and highway authorities. As always, the hope is that companies will maximise their efficiency and minimise disruption.
Overruns at weekends and bank holidays
Fines – up to £10,000 depending on the type of road and the number of days overrun – are to apply on weekends and bank holidays as well as weekdays.
Those in support of the measure cited roads being closed unnecessarily over bank holiday weekends, and the ability for traffic authorities to incentivise contractors to avoid overruns.
Lane Rental
· Lane rental mustn’t be used to generate revenue, but to target congestion reduction on the busiest roads at busy times.
· As per the 2012 lane rental regulations, accounts of sums received will be published, and scheme governance groups handling the funds will include utilities companies, the sector most affected.
Streamlined businesses overrun less and cut down their overheads
Getting your business and managers to a level where they’re running at maximum efficiency is the best way to avoid fines and reduce overheads – and keeps you streamlined and flexible to easily adapt to future regulatory changes.
Field management software like Re-flow is designed for this purpose. (And to the wider needs of highways companies).
When your operatives get to site, they have everything they need to get going. They quickly and effortlessly fill out site forms. They get to work quicker. Time-stamped and geo-tagged photo uploads of completed works and compulsory task lists gives managers everything they need to keep on top of their teams.
Comments