POLITICS


The region will benefit from cleaner, quieter trains


Chamber releases telling results on local infrastructure


Last year, the Chamber carried out a survey to determine the impact of lack of infrastructure investment on business. The shock results was that 68% of


respondents said they’d suffered delays due to roads congestion. Nearly a third of businesses (30%) said the


delays had caused them to incur increased costs in buying products or services and 18% said they’d lost at least one business opportunity due to the delays. As a direct consequence of the


delays and congestion, 11% of respondents said they’d considered relocating. Four-in-ten respondents


said they felt the roads network in the region was significantly less reliable today than it was five years ago, 32% said it was slightly less reliable and 27% said it was either the same or more reliable. Over half (51%) said they’d been


affected by road maintenance issues such as closures and potholes. Nearly one-in-five (18%) said they’d implemented flexible working or looked at automation as a way of getting around delays


caused by congestion. The railways fared slightly better than roads


in the perception of those filling in the survey with 36% saying the railway met their needs when it came to accessing customers, 32% taking a neutral position and 32% saying their needs were not met. The problems, however, extend beyond


road and rail issues. Other areas requiring urgent attention include the region’s digital infrastructure. Mobile and online technologies


are nowadays considered crucial to conducting business and driving growth but one-in-ten of the survey’s respondents said they’d suffered mobile


phone outages and 36% said they’d suffered broadband issues. While 58% said the networks


had improved over the past five years, 30% said they had seen no appreciable difference and 12% said


things were worse now. One-in-ten said they’d suffered mobile


phone networks failings and 36% reported broadband issues that negatively impacted their business.


region is overlooked when it comes to infrastructure investment. “We are working closely with Midlands


Connect, the transport wing of the Midlands Engine for Growth, to drive infrastructure projects such as improvements to the A46 and A5. We are also keen to bring forward delivery of HS2 at Toton and ensure connectivity around the planned station hub and East Midlands Airport. “We want electrification of Midland Main Line


put back into the pipeline of planned works so that it can seamlessly link with HS2 and provide this region with cleaner, faster, lighter and quieter trains which will help our cities meet clean air targets. “These are not the stuff of dreams, this is


joined up thinking; making sure all the various parts of the jigsaw are laid out together to create a complete picture. “There is no point investing in infrastructure in


a piecemeal way. That tends only to move problems, not solve them. “With better trains linking seamlessly between


services, roads that don’t cause bottlenecks, good international services between East Midlands Airport - and other neighbouring airports – and the rest of the world, this region can be a flagship for manufacturing innovation on a global scale. “But if we continue to be deprived of proper


investment, if Government continues to fail to recognise and reward the East Midlands for the contribution it makes to the national economy, then there is a very real risk that our contribution will diminish, and that won’t benefit anybody.”


business network February 2019 37


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