Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether schemes supported through the Structures Fund are required to commence by a fixed deadline.

There is no specified date for the commencement of schemes funded through the Structures Fund. However, the Department intends for all funded schemes to be completed and reopened to traffic by 31 March 2030.

The Department will assess proposed schemes in alignment with the Green Book’s 5-case model. Local highway authorities are expected to engage with local and regional stakeholders and set out the level of support from them when putting schemes forward for investment. Letters of endorsement from neighbouring highway authorities and where relevant Network Rail, National Highways and the combined authority, are encouraged. The Department will take account of these views when making funding decisions, including when these relate to the cumulative impacts of infrastructure schemes in the same area.