APM has called for a more focused strategy on Government projects, along with greater clarity and commitment to levelling up and net zero projects – ahead of the next Spring Budget 2024
Ahead of the Spring Budget – due to be announced by chancellor Jeremy Hunt on 6 March 2024 – the Association for Project Management (APM) has made an urgent call on the Government to factor in concerns for project stability and success into its plans.
In response to the Autumn Statement 2023, APM called on the Government to put down plans to stabilise the economy to help project professionals deliver projects with confidence. Stability, long term plans and above all consistency all help drive confidence in project management.
This, in turn, leads to “confidence to invest, confidence to build skills, and confidence to experiment to find efficiencies,” as APM states.
UK infrastructure has veered towards vaguer plans in recent months
Following from the Autumn Statement, prime minister Rishi Sunak cancelled the northern leg of HS2. The merits of the project will be debated for years, but overnight “a concrete plan to deliver major benefits to the UK and its three largest cities” was lost.
Andrew Baldwin, head of policy and public affairs at the Association for Project Management (APM) says:
“Instead, we were left with uncertainty, speculation and (in Network North) a list of disparate projects that may or may not get started before the next General Election. We hope the Government does not rush any sale of HS2 land without first giving thought to whether it could still be used to enhance transport links. We still need a plan to improve rail capacity, which remains a real problem.
“Instead of Network North alone, we are calling for a more focused strategy outlining firstly how all these smaller projects link together into a plan which will improve society, and secondly how the Government plans to use projects more generally to improve the UK. When projects succeed, society benefits. We’ll be looking out for any new projects that might be announced before the election so that we can work with the government to help them succeed.”
APM members are not optimistic about the skills shortage and rush to net zero colliding
“Of the Government’s current commitments, we would like to see more clarity and commitment to levelling up and net zero projects. A total of 61% of APM members surveyed think there are not enough project experts to sustain the future delivery of net zero projects. This is deeply concerning, because both net zero and levelling up are flagship Government programmes, the benefits of which need to be delivered.”
APM wants to see continued investment in the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) in the next Spring Budget, saying that the “good work done by the IPA needs to be properly backed up with adequate funding and investment in staff.”
APM would also like to see an update on the Government’s implementation of the recommendations in Lord Maude’s review of Civil Service Governance and Accountability.
Trust in Government projects must be validated, not taken for granted
More than 85% of project professionals surveyed by APM said they trust the UK Government to deliver projects well.
“But we need to invest to keep that level of trust high,” Andrew emphasised. “APM members’ confidence needs to be repaid through consistent, stable, long term project investment, and APM will be looking to see that in the Budget Statement on 6 March.”
