Birmingham road PFI ‘in jeopardy’

Birmingham City Council’s long-running highways PFI deal could be brought to an end by central government, the local council leader has claimed.

John Cotton has warned that Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is considering ending the contract by failing to approve the appointment of a new subcontractor before the February 2024 deadline.

A replacement for Amey has been sought by the council and was expected to be announced in October - but the deadline has slipped on several occasions.

Now, Cotton is warning that the government is “letting the clock run down on our long agreed highways deal worth £600m over the next 12 years”.

Cotton and the Birmingham Labour Party have launched a petition calling on the government to “keep [its] promise and stop our roads falling into disrepair”. 

Amey left the PFI contract in 2020, with Kier initially being handed a 15-month interim contract to take over the work until a long-term replacement could be found.