Major manufacturers are urging chancellor Rachel Reeves to use her Autumn Budget to tackle a decade of decline in the UK's national infrastructure and to invest more resources into local authority planning.
A poll of Make UK members, which represents 20,000 industrial businesses, reveals that 74% regard road networks as crucial to supply chains, but 54% think they have deteriorated in the past ten years.
The study accompanying the survey said that declining road quality has led to higher logistics costs while hampering labour mobility, and making it more expensive to build and export goods.
According to the survey, a total of 37% of manufacturers rate the national rail network as "bad", while 57% disagreed with former prime minister Rishi Sunak's decision to cancel the northern leg of HS2. This rises to 61% in the North of England.
The findings follow the chancellor's decision last month to cut some infrastructure projects, including roads and railways, after discovering a £22 billion "black hole" in public finances. Make UK called on Reeves to commit to long-term infrastructure projects to ensure the UK is attractive to international businesses and investors.
Chief Executive of Made UK, Stephen Phipson, said: "Following years of underinvestment, this new government now needs to be bold on its infrastructure investment and realise the productivity improvements of doing so".
"At the top of this agenda must be repairing our roads with British manufacturers wanting to see an immediate focus on A roads and motorways".
"To help make this happen, manufacturers want to see more local decision-making and support for local authorities to speed up planning processes".
"Increased investment in local bus networks to connect out-of-town areas would also give more young people the chance to work in the well-paid manufacturing sector, while long-term rail projects are desperately needed to connect more east-west connections to truly deliver an equal share of opportunities around the whole of the UK".
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