From devolution to delivery. What does it mean for UK infrastructure?

In this episode of The SCOPE, we explore the opportunities and challenges that devolution brings for place leaders and private sector partners. 

Judith Barker, executive director of Place and Economy for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority, joins our Roger Evans, Public Sector & Frameworks lead for a candid discussion on the realities of infrastructure delivery.

Listen for a clear view of how devolution is changing the way infrastructure is planned and delivered, what makes a pipeline credible, and why investing in programmes rather than standalone projects can lead to better long-term outcomes.

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Transcript

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Devolution is one of the biggest forces reshaping how infrastructure is planned, funded and delivered across the UK. But it's no longer just about governance. It's increasingly framed as a route to better, faster delivery. The question is whether it can live up to that promise. Today's conversation explores how new powers, funding and scale can be turned into investable, deliverable programmes and why stronger, more effective collaboration between the public and private sectors matters in delivering better outcomes for communities. I'm joined by Judith Barker, executive director of place and economy at Cambridgeshire and a combined authority, and Roger Evans, Stantec. Public sector and frameworks lead. I'm Graham Monday. Welcome to the scope of podcast from Stantec, a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture and environmental consulting. Roger and Judith, welcome. Let me just give you a couple of the ambitious headlines from the government around devolution. They've talked about devolution, revolution and unprecedented powers to drive growth, turbocharge house building and improved transport. Delivery is very clearly a key pillar to realising the ambition of the devolution programme and its expansion across the country. So in this first question, let's have a look at how devolution is changing delivery. And Roger, maybe if we could start with yourself. Just paint a quick picture. We're recording in May 2026. Paint a quick picture for us if you like, of the complexity and the fluidity of the landscape of where we are at the moment with devolution, some of the some of the combined authorities that are existing and have existed for longer are more advanced along where they want to be in terms of delivery. New ones are coming on stream with the government's devolution agenda. More will come on stream over the next few years, so it's not patchy, but it is around different areas being aligned at different times and in different parts of the journey. Okay, and Judith, great to have your company for this podcast. Thank you for joining us for Cambridgeshire and Peter Combined Authority. Give us a sense of your personal experience on this. When that became a combined authority, Merrill changes occurred, that sort of stuff. Well, thank you for the opportunity of joining you on the podcast. And yes, it has been I mean, as as Roger has described, there is a lot of variety within devolution, and that's how it should be, because it's about giving powers to local places and therefore it should be different within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We became a combined authority in 2017 and since then we're now with our third mayor, Paul Bristow, who was elected in the spring of 2025. And during that time we have seen considerable change. But obviously what we have seen through the Democratic mandates of each of those mayors is a clear ambition in their manifesto to drive change, particularly on transport, housing and economic growth. As you set out and talk to me a little bit about the prioritisation and how that's affected by the changing scale and boundaries in terms of the larger area that are combined. Authority covers well within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We cover seven constituent authorities and so it's a very broad and diverse area, from the thriving life sciences and opportunities within Cambridgeshire to the advanced manufacturing in Peterborough, but also recognising that we do have some of the most deprived wards in Fenland within Cambridge City, but also within, particularly within Peterborough. And so we have to be mindful of those inequalities and those areas that we have to consider to ensure inclusive growth. And that's been a really key part of how the mayoralty have delivered devolution. So we've been considering, as we've considered delivery, how we operate in terms of skills, how we meet those needs, how we drive forward with transport, particularly thinking about how do we enable people to get to learning opportunities and get to employment. Also, addressing the congestion challenges within Cambridge, where the area is, is clearly facing some challenges. And looking at how each mayor has set out in his or her manifesto what they want to achieve. And then we work as officers with that political leadership to look at how are we going to deliver that going forward and deliver those impact for the businesses and communities in our area? Okay. Thank you. Now, as this as we go forward in this conversation, we're going to explore a little bit about how you align your strategies, how you deliver the public and private partnership angle as well. When we talk about devolution, one of the key headlines is putting more power into the hands of local people, and communities will have a significant ambition for the places where they live and they work. So I want to touch on what an infrastructure pipeline, what makes an infrastructure pipeline achievable rather than aspirational. And Judith, maybe you could set that up and talk to us about some of the boards that are set up for that sort of thing. Yes. I think the real key, with any combined authority and indeed any public organisation looking at how it's going to deliver its infrastructure pipeline is going to be prioritisation. And that's got a particularly sharp focus at the moment because we recognise there is limited public sector resources and there's also challenges within the private sector to achieve the rate of return. So we have to look at prioritising really, really carefully. The mayor is really clear that having an aspirational set of goals to drive those, that delivery is really, really important. So we have the goal of doubling the economy, but the aspiration of tripling the economy by 2050. So we have to look at the projects and the actions that are really going to deliver that impact. So we need to look at what projects will actually deliver the greatest impact, whilst also recognising that some are going to be delivered earlier than others. So we need to put that sort of combination of thinking about impact alongside deliverability to then have a focus, prioritise, prioritise programme over the short, medium and long term. But we also have to remember it's not just about capital infrastructure. As we touched on earlier, it's also about skills, it's about increasing the employment rate and we've got a target to reach economic activity rates at 80% across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, as well as recognising that in some places we're significantly below that at the moment. And so we need to work really, really hard on that revenue activity as well to support people to benefit from those capital investments we're making. So it is a rounded programme we need. And Roger, I'm going to come to you in a second. But I'm Judith. I'm assuming partnerships are really important here in terms of how you as a combined authority achieve this. Absolutely. Collaboration is one of the central values of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We cannot do this alone and we shouldn't even try to do it alone. It's about system leadership. And that has been really, really key to the way that we're working within the combined authority. We're a very small combined authority and we have seven constituent authorities and working with those constituent authorities, but also with our key private sector partners is really key to deliver. And Roger, if I can come to yourself then in terms of what we're seeing generally, I guess across the UK as well, how how do we help in terms of devolution and combined authorities moving beyond procurement processes to being delivery ready? It comes with the individual component parts coming together. Nothing exists in a vacuum. So the money, the will, the realism, everything being built on a fundamental business case and being deliverable and palatable to the communities you're delivering in as well. So it is around that ethos of partnership. I can't emphasise that strongly enough. If people are coming with different agendas and they're looking at something long term, it's never going to work, are great in isolation. But programmes of work where there's a consistent and an end goal is significantly better for delivering for for the public, but also with the limited money that's available. You've segway us beautifully into, into the next area that we were going to cover. And I might just move us around a bit on the on the question set that we had here to say, talk to me a bit about that. I mean, both of you to some degree around its programs that we need to be focussed on. What do you mean by that? Yeah. Well, it's really interesting that in the skills world, I was at an event this week when we were focussed on how individual projects that happen over a period of time haven't changed the dial on some of the systemic issues that we face, whether that be transport, skills, capital or revenue. And what we need to look at is systemic, long term changes. And I think that's where the point that Roger just made about partnership and people being vested in long term outcomes is really, really important. Because if we're all working together to achieve the benefits of for the businesses, for the communities and for the individuals, and really looking at that over a ten year period and bringing people around that, even if there are changes in the system and there will be organisations that come and go, there will be governments that come and go. But if we're vested in that change, we're more likely to reach those goals than kind of a year project here and a year project there, which isn't focussed on delivering those long term goals. So I think that's really, really important. I agree, and I think the exemplar authorities, those more mature combined authorities are giving those who are being newly formed an opportunity to look at whether that particular model suits them and their place. But again, it's about places we're delivering together in the industry, places for people to live and work in. And when you talk, when we talk about places and and and infrastructure as well. Talk to me about the importance of it not being a single scheme, but actually being an entire program of delivery. And what what does that actually mean in reality? I think in some ways it means that if something isn't palatable and can't go through or people don't want it, then there's something else coming up as well. So there's always that choice. There's always prioritisation, as we said earlier, but it's also around having an end goal. And that comes back to the fundamental ethos of of the combined authorities, the mayoral combined authorities. It's the mayor's vision and mayors come and go. But the the ability of mayors to set out a long term vision has to come with a whole programme of activities. And you can see that with bus networks, you can see it with transport networks elsewhere, you can see it with housing growth in some of the other combined authorities. So it's around enacting the mayor's vision, the basis on which they've been elected, but also the component parts. And Judith mentioned the number of number of constituent authorities in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough at the moment. That's going to change. It is. So it's making sure that everyone's on board and people are working towards the same goals. Yes. And sort of building on that. One of the key parts of our local growth plan is to have four opportunity zones, and that is to recognise that, yes, there are thematic things we need, we need to look at. We clearly need to look at the constraints facing Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in terms of transport and water for. However, we also need to look in place. How do those things knit together? Because that's the lived experience of individuals who are ultimately voting in the elections for the mayor. And so we need to be really clear that we're thinking about those high quality places. So within those opportunity zones, one example we're working on is North Huntingdon. We're looking at the key sectors that are driving that, whether that be advanced technologies, whether that be the defence cluster that's developing. But we're also looking at what the skills needs are, what are the housing needs that would then meet those objectives? What are the transport needs that are required to allow people to travel in and out, as well as move to other areas? And we're also thinking about what are the wider needs of the place. All of that relates to the existing place, the town centre, and that being a vibrant centre and the foundation economy is that then build that town. So it's about thinking about how all these different elements play out in a place, and we need to be thinking about that as well as the individual component parts. And how does sustainability come into that as well, in terms of ensuring that whatever this change in the long term programme, it's sustainable, it's climate resilient, it's addressing social needs. Well, I say a couple of things, and I'm sure Roger will have a number of comments to make here. But in terms of that particular example, there's lots of dimensions to sustainability, isn't there? So we need to be thinking how we make the infrastructure that's required to develop that opportunity zone sustainable, both from a financial point of view. In other words, how can we work with developers to ensure that the infrastructure goes in before the housing and commercial space? So it it operates successfully from the beginning. But we're also thinking, as you say, about the resilience, and clearly we've got very significant flooding and water issues, both in terms of supply and treatment, but also in terms of having too much water at some times of the year. So any of the road and housing developments need to be considered in that way. And we need to be thinking about how do we make the area more resilient, as well as both in the short term and in the long term, and we're absolutely doing that. And one of the mayor's commitments has been to develop a regional resilience plan, which will then work across those climate challenges, but also the wider resilience challenges that we face. Roger. So I think from from an industry point of view, absolutely everything Judith said. From our point of view, it's around social value. It's around long term commitments to clients and operating in the communities that we're supporting. So whether that's us working for private sector developers, whether that's working public sector, everyone has to have an invested part in the place, but it has to come with with the core values of sustainability lowering carbon net zero. Okay. And before I move off this area and on to kind of the role of the public private partnerships, Judith, one point as well that I know we've picked up when we were talking about this podcast before recording, you talked about the importance of economic led growth and that particular message over and above. Maybe it's just more housing kind of thing. Explain that to us. I think that is is really key, and it's been really key to the way that our local growth plan has been developed in terms of economic growth, and that leading the local growth plan. That's been a central part of what we've been doing, rather than having housing led growth. So economic growth is really about jobs growth and focusing on high value jobs, but a range of jobs that will grow the economy across all of the sectors of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, whether that be life sciences, advanced manufacturing or indeed agritech and clean tech jobs. But it's really important, I think, that the local population who live within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area can see how they individually, their children and their families can benefit from the growth. And if we have the skills programme that allows people to build into those jobs and get advantage of that opportunity. Our view is that that sort of growth, and certainly the mayor's view, is that sort of growth enables the people of the area now to benefit from that growth and see that that growth will give them a future and give their children a better future. I think a housing led growth can often feel that there's a large number of houses that it feels that maybe people are moving into the area, but they're not sure what the impact will be on them. Whereas with the jobs led growth, I think there's a real ownership of this could be benefiting me. And so I think we've we've very much identified an economic growth model and also an infrastructure led model infrastructure first, because the mayor is really clear that communities don't like a situation of waiting many years for that vital social infrastructure that enables them to live happily in a place. Well, infrastructure first is is such a key message. I know in this environment and is a good link to the last core part, if you like, of this podcast that we want to cover, which is the importance of the relation based, relationship based partnerships between the public and the private sector. Roger, talk to us a little bit about the importance of the collaboration between the public and private sectors and, and, and what a relationship based partnership actually means. So we've been doing for a year now, some work with the industry around public private partnerships. And we've we've hosted around table. We did something at the Adept conference last year. What what what the market is telling us what what local authorities, combined authorities and private sector companies are telling us is the desire is there for long term public private partnerships that that bring what Judith just referred to bring the context, the context of place to life. There's desire out there for experimentation as well. Some of the models that perhaps have been out there as well, people are willing to take procurement chances. I'm not going to say risk, because procurement people might not like the word risk. But as models change, as authorities change, the desire is there. And having long term partnerships lead to those long term outcomes that we referred to earlier, they help enact the mayor's vision. I think I would also add to that as well, just reflecting what Judith was just saying. And going back to what you said at the top of the podcast, combined authorities, mayor or combined authorities, strategic authorities, the powers they have are beyond anything local government has ever seen. This is regional government made big. So the powers that local the regional government are going to get, that the mayors are going to get over time will only grow. So the skills, the need for spatial development strategies are there so long term help with an industry that isn't as resource rich as it might be, requires people to be in it for the long term to work together for for common, common goals to be achieved. And Roger, what what does the private sector need to recognise and understand about the public sector from their side, from the private sector's side of the fence in terms of the success of that partnership? And I'm thinking particularly about political cycles and things like that. But you've stolen my answer, but I'll come back and say political cycles. No, I think the the answer for me comes in that need and desire and want to make changes and to help deliver place. I think it comes to that. People want to live in great places and work in great places. An alignment of cultures, the ability for the public sector to demonstrate that there is something long term and a commitment. Nobody wants to be in commoditized, no one wants a race to the bottom in terms of quality or or indeed price. You know, there is a difference between price and value. Yeah. There we go. So I think that is key. The tendency of some parts of the sector to underbid, to buy work, to have transactional relationships that fall apart. I'm not going to go through examples, but that that has happened over, over the years. Now is the time to seize the opportunity for alignment of of ability. But what what the private sector desperately needs from the public sector is pipeline is consistent approach to those programs we referred to earlier. But what the private sector has also got to do is be patient and understand the politics, the fiscal situation the country finds itself in, the globe finds itself in, and to be in it for the good times as well as the bad or the bad times, as well as the good. Maybe I'll phrase it that way. And Judith, therefore, from your perspective, what is effective public private partnership look like? Yes, I think well, firstly, I think it's incredibly important because I think it's that kind of that pulling together of the best of the private and the public is what's going to deliver those outcomes that we've been we've been talking about. And we, you know, there are always going to be issues around public sector procurement. And those things are always going to be, you know, are going to be an issue that we need to ensure we're compliant. But also, I think there's a real recognition that there's probably greater common ground than we sometimes recognise and focusing on what we've got in common, which sounds perhaps sounds a bit trite, but I do think it is. It is really important. And I think that long term point that Roger just made is, is really significant in this space. And I think one of the things that I've learned, you know, in the last 18 months is, yes, you know, we've had a very different manifesto from our previous mayor to our to our new mayor. But actually, there's a lot of things that are absolutely common between them. They both want Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to thrive. They want growth. They want to enable people to be able to connect and to grow and to to thrive and businesses to thrive. They want great places. So there's some really common ground there, and it's on those common things that we can build these partnerships so we can make sure that we've got those long term partnerships to deliver those things. And yes, there might be a change of emphasis. There might be certain things that stop and start according to political change. However, there will be a core of things that I think we can focus on, both within the public sector and the private sector. But that commitment to work together flexibly, I think, is really, really important. I mean, in previous commissions, during, for instance, 2024, we had a general election in the middle of a number of really important commissions. And that flexibility to kind of change, according to the brief, might have been one thing at one point, and it might need to tweak and flex. So I think that working together and working with not not for in partnership, I think is really, really important. And I think that has to be a two way street. You know, we within the public sector need to understand the constraints and requirements of the private sector, and we need to share what our red lines are and how we work in order that we have that kind of shared vision of how we're taking a really important piece of work forward. And you both cover that, you know, really well. I think actually, in that, in that conversation, we just had one quick wrap up question. Then at the end of the podcast, what's the one thing that place leaders should focus on over the next year to improve delivery confidence. I don't know who wants to go first here. Well, perhaps I'll kick off because it's something that we've been very focussed on within the work that we've been doing with our local authorities, and I believe that it's around collaboration and saying having a single set of messages, it won't work to have Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority saying something different to our other constituent authorities. We need a team Cambridgeshire and Peterborough voice and vision, and if I'm talking about Peterborough and the opportunities there are in the city centre, then I'm very much aligned to the the partners from Peterborough City Council and we're selling a single vision, a single message, and that will be far more successful in delivering those outcomes and attracting the private investment. So I think that collaboration, single vision is really important. Roger, my trite answer would be be more Judith, you know, as speaking as a as a place leader. You're asking me to put myself in the position of a place leader. I think there seems in what Judith just said, there are absolutely vital. It's around collaboration. It's around honesty. It's around being in it for the bad as well as the good. But it's also around flexibility, change and caring. You know, if you don't have people that you're working with, if you can't front up individuals who are excited and keen to help make a difference in the places where they live and work, then it's a non-starter. So bringing that together, being that conduit, being that broker between housing developers, clients, the broader public sector, the broader, broader private sector, you know, that's all in there too. But it's around that shared goal, shared vision, shared outcomes. Thank you. Judith, thank you so much for joining us for this podcast. Roger. Good to see you as well. Thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed this podcast, make sure you subscribe to The Scope on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. And you can find all of our episodes on the Stantec website.