National Infrastructure Commission (NIC)

The NIC aims to be the UK’s most credible, forward-thinking and influential voice on infrastructure policy and strategy

The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) is an executive agency of the Treasury that provides impartial, expert advice and makes independent recommendations to the Government on economic infrastructure.

The NIC operates independently, at arm’s length from Government and the Commission functions in an open and transparent manner, building consensus around its recommendations and engaging across parties and with the public, policymakers, infrastructure experts and relevant bodies.

Recommendations made by the NIC represent the views of the Commission and are not a statement of Government policy. Government will lay NIC’s reports before Parliament and respond to the NIC’s national infrastructure assessment and specific studies.

The NIC engages closely with Devolved Administrations and bodies under their jurisdictions as appropriate, particularly on matters where the respective infrastructure policy responsibilities of the UK Government and devolved administrations interact. The NIC ensures that appropriate working arrangements are in place.

Its remit does not include spending where infrastructure investment decisions rest with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Young Professionals Panel 

The Young Professionals Panel supports and informs the Commission’s work and ensures a strong voice for the next generation of infrastructure leaders in the Commission’s work. It comprises 16 young infrastructure professionals (picked from over five hundred applicants) from a range of professions, backgrounds and regions of the country. The Young Professionals Panel agrees and develop its own agenda and work programme in conjunction with the Commission.

The National Infrastructure Assessment 

The National Infrastructure Commission is charged with devising a National Infrastructure Assessment once every five years, looking long-term and across sectors including energy, transport, digital communications, waste, water and floods risk management.

The first National Infrastructure Assessment was published in July 2018, and devised recommendations for meeting the UK’s infrastructure needs up to 2050. Its core proposals include:

•   Nationwide full fibre broadband by 2033
•   Half of the UK’s power provided by renewables by 2030
•   Three quarters of plastic packaging recycled by 2030
•   £43 billion of stable long-term transport funding for regional cities
•   Preparing for 100 per cent electric vehicle sales by 2030
•   Ensuring resilience to extreme drought through additional supply and demand reduction
•   A national standard of flood resilience for all communities by 2050.

In addition, it includes support for Northern Powerhouse Rail and Crossrail 2 in London.

It also highlights the most important future challenges. Heating must no longer be provided by natural gas, a fossil fuel.

The UK must prepare for connected and autonomous vehicles and these need more time for evidence or technology to develop. The Assessment sets out the actions needed to enable robust decisions to be taken in future.