Essex County Council secures top transport award

Hard work and innovation to deliver a first class transportation system for Essex has been recognised with Essex County Council winning Transport Local Authority of the Year for the first time at this year’s National Transport Awards. 

Judges were wowed by the authority’s breadth and depth of achievements, highlighted by a number of success stories including:

• securing ISO/British Standards accreditation for Essex Highways, recognising its partnership working and management of highways assets worth more than £10 billion

• strategic, collaborative working with Highways England to plan for key infrastructure that will unlock further economic growth for Essex, for instance on the M11, the A12 and the A120

• bringing forward strategic cases for potential investment in the A127 

• securing £200m of South East Local Enterprise Partnership funding

• rising bus passenger satisfaction across the county

• the introduction of an improved online reporting tool available at www.essex.gov.uk/highways for reporting highways issues

• the rollout of new ‘smart’ LED streetlights

• the innovative, award-winning and eco-friendly use of bamboo to protect the abutment of Orchard footbridge spanning the Roman River in Colchester 

Essex Highways, the strategic long-term commercial partnership between Essex County Council and Ringway Jacobs, has delivered over £14 million of efficiencies over the past five years. The partnership works in close integration to maintain, manage and improve the roads, footways and related assets for Essex residents and road users.

Mike O’Neill, Managing Director of Ringway Jacobs said: “Our Essex Highways contract is a true testament to our company’s ethos of collaboration. This award recognises that as well as delivering innovative, industry leading services with our clients we have a strong reputation for establishing productive relationships based upon integrity, collaboration and excellence.”

Cllr Kevin Bentley, Deputy Leader at Essex County Council, said: “This award is a well-deserved recognition of the work that often goes unseen by the public, but is crucial to ensuring our roads and transport infrastructure can support the growing number of businesses, jobs and housing availa ble in Essex. 

"We are committed to looking forward and investing in a sustainable future for travel in Essex for years to come. 

“Our teams work tirelessly with partners to keep Essex moving and to secure the funding that allows us to build roads and infrastructure for the future. This award is a sign our innovative approach to deliver a first class transportation system for Essex is working." 

Cllr Ian Grundy, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “I am absolutely delighted that the hard work and dedication of our highways and transportation staff has been recognised with this top honour. 

“It is brilliant for this work to be praised on a national stage, but we won’t rest on our laurels. We are responsible for more than 5,000 miles of roads in Essex and we will continue to work innovatively to deliver more for less for Essex taxpayers.”