Brighton and Hove City Council is considering charging utility companies and contractors for each day they delay traffic during peak times, following the lead of the county councils.
The aim is to speed up roadworks on busy streets, cut congestion and the associated air pollution and generate millions in extra revenue.
A lane charging scheme in West Sussex generated more than £4.5 million in 2023-24, its first full year of operation, according to a county council report.
After running costs of just over £600,000, the council had a surplus of almost £4 million to help fund transport projects.
East Sussex County Council followed suit last April and also hopes to generate a seven-figure sum.
Members of Brighton and Hove City Council’s Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee are expected to discuss the prospect of a lane rental scheme at Hove Town Hall next Wednesday (21 January).
The council said this morning: “Councillors will meet next week to discuss measures that could reduce the delays and disruption caused by roadworks across Brighton and Hove.
“Members of the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee will consider a new approach to incentivise utility companies, such as Southern Water, Southern Gas Networks (SGN), UK Power Networks and phone and broadband providers, to finish work more quickly.
“Introducing a lane rental scheme would allow Brighton and Hove City Council to bring in additional charges for working on the city’s busiest roads during the busiest times.
“The council currently receive around 20,000 permit applications a year to carry out work on the city’s road network.
“These come from gas, water, electricity and telecoms companies as well as council teams and other contractors.
“A permit team then co-ordinate the work and place restrictions on the permits where necessary, to minimise disruption as best we can.
“At the moment, the maximum fine for breaking the conditions of the permit is £120 a day.
“Introducing a lane rental scheme would mean companies would pay charges of up to £2,500 a day for working on Brighton and Hove’s busiest roads during peak hours.
“This would encourage them to work quickly and better co-ordinate their work with other companies.
“Income generated from the scheme would be reinvested back into city transport projects.
“Lane rental has been successfully trialled in Kent and London and has shown to significantly speed up how long it takes to complete roadworks.
“Emergency work in Brighton and Hove takes around 20 days on average. In areas with lane rental schemes, it averages at between two and five days.”
East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council were among the first four organisations to trial a lane rental scheme.
West Sussex made a surplus of almost £4 million in 2023-24. The East Sussex scheme started last April and a county council report said: “Income in the range of £2 million to £4 million might be expected.”
About half of the East Sussex surplus was pledged to go towards the cost of maintaining the county’s roads while the rest would fund other transport projects.
Any lane rental scheme is required to charge councils and their contractors the same fees that apply to utility companies and others.
In West Sussex, about 20 per cent of roadworks are carried out or commissioned by the council. More roadworks overall now take place at night. And the existing permit scheme remains in place.
The current permit scheme in Brighton and Hove is required by law to be cost-neutral rather than profit-making and raises about £800,000 a year, according to a report to councillors.
Labour councillor Trevor Muten, Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, said: “I know how frustrating it can be for people travelling around the city to get stuck in traffic caused by roadworks.
“Utility companies play an important role in maintaining and improving our infrastructure but it’s vital they finish their work promptly, remove the roadworks and keep the city moving.
“A lane rental scheme would incentivise anyone who wants to carry out work on our roads to do it quickly and at times when it will minimise disruption to residents.
“I am very keen that we apply to the Secretary of State for lane rental for Brighton and Hove and I will be recommending this to cabinet next month.
“I very much welcome the opportunity to present the case for lane rental at the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee.”
The Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee only has the power to make recommendations to the cabinet.
The decision on whether to apply to the Secretary of State for powers to develop a lane rental scheme is due to be taken by cabinet members next month.
