“We all understand this was a budget delivered at a time of extreme economic pressure and, in the words of the Chancellor, unprecedented global headwinds.

“Against this backdrop, the announcement that High Speed 2 to Manchester, core Northern Powerhouse Rail and East West Rail will go ahead demonstrates a long-term commitment to infrastructure and growth. At AECOM we welcome these announcements and will work with our industry peers to ensure value, sustainability and accelerated delivery of these projects.

“The Chancellor’s commitment to net zero and honouring the COP26 agreement should also be commended in these challenging times. Investment in renewable energy is a win-win as we target energy independence and efficiency. The green light for the Sizewell C nuclear power station and renewables, such as wind and solar, will enable our sector to build on our technical know-how and support the high skills, high wage workforce of the future. We are already working with clients on building decarbonisation and the Energy Efficiency Taskforce (EETF) funding is much needed as a 15% reduction in energy consumption requires significant investment.

“Ultimately, infrastructure investment is all about outcomes. We don’t build for the sake of it, we build to enable people and goods to move around in a way which benefits communities and the economy. AECOM believes local leaders, in partnership with their communities, are best placed to make these decisions and welcome today’s support for new mayoral devolution deals and ‘trailblazer’ devolution deals to give increased fiscal powers to established Mayors.

“Let’s now use this focus on stability, growth and public services to get on and deliver these projects – the sooner we do, the sooner people and communities will benefit from them.”

Colin Wood, Chief Executive, Europe & India, AECOM