Highways Agency (Hansard, 14 December 1994)

§ Mr. Watts

This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 14 December 1994: I have been asked to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Question about the Highways Agency restructuring proposals and in particular the extra costs or savings generated by the withdrawal of the proposal to concentrate on a single site. My Board's decision on the restructuring of the Highways Agency were announced on 23 November following consultation on the original proposals put forward last July. The changes confirmed following the consultation process have resulted in a decision which provides better utilisation of our existing expertise without sacrificing the advantages of a reduced number of offices in terms of lower management and overhead costs and lower accommodation costs. The overall saving in staff redundancy and relocation costs due to the changes is estimated at £8.8 million. The changes also involve greater utilisation of existing offices, which it is estimated will reduce refurbishment costs by £1.2 million and property disposal costs by £2.7 million. There has never been a proposal to concentrate the entire Highways Agency on a single site. One of the options estimated earlier in the planning process would have centralised most of our operations on a single site but with two other offices. This option was rejected at an early stage because the associated loss of staff expertise would have been too great.