Editor's Comment
It is about time our water bills reflected amounts used
Thames Water’s chief executive Martin Baggs made me a very happy man last week with a surprise gift, out of the blue, of my very own water meter.
News analysis and opinion from the NCE team
Localism in transport sounds death knell for major schemes
New plans to devolve transport funding decisions to local transport bodies are good for the government’s localism agenda, but they could signal the death of big schemes.
Localism stymies waste incineration projects
Last week’s decision by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to revisit the issue of whether waste incinerators pose a health threat looks set to stoke waste industry fears that such development will stagnate for years to come.
A high speed world needs political consensus
In the past fortnight there has been a surge in chatter about the prospects of mega-transport schemes High Speed 2 and the Thames Estuary airport. But still the government faces the question of how to fund these projects while keeping taxpayers happy or, alternatively, how to entice a risk-averse private sector to get on board.
2012: the year of the one stop shop
Last year’s warning from industry leaders to merge, be acquired or go under may have seemed bold and frightening talk, but 2012 shows no sign that the underlying business prerogative of the last few years – get bigger to offer a one-stop shop or be bought – is about to change. Nor is the fact that there are some vulnerable firms out there.
More opinion
Letters: At Seaton it’s now a question of: ‘For whom the till tolls?’
At Seaton it’s now a question of: ‘For whom the till tolls?
Let’s rise to the High Speed 2 challenge
This vital rail link will support and spur economic growth.
Obituary: Brian McGrath, 1969-2011
In December McGrath lost his long battle with cancer at the age of 42; an illness borne with characteristic fortitude and determination to minimise its debilitating effect on his life.
Letters: Why skew Scottish transport spend so much towards roads?
Why skew Scottish transport spend so much towards roads?Scottish roads: spending dwarfs that set aside for low carbon transport
Letters: Is reversing points the best way to prevent another Grayrigg?
Is reversing points the best way to prevent another Grayrigg?
Elevated safety issue
Work at height needs attention.
Letters: How should we encourage equality in construction firms?
How should we encourage equality in construction firms?A female engineering student on a construction site marking blueprints as her instructor watches.
Improving safety
I’ve been encouraged enough by the feedback from our first safety feature to believe that not only does this really matter (I was already convinced) but that NCE readers want to be advocates of the constant drive for improvement.
