West Sussex County Council, Lane rental scheme

• Location: West Sussex, South East 

• Purpose: Lane rental schemes are designed to incentivise roadworks to take place efficiently and during off-peak hours. They help to reduce disruption, congestion, and air pollution.

• Description: The West Sussex lane rental scheme went live in December 2022 under the Conservatives. The scheme charges utility companies and highway authorities up to £2,500 per day for disruptive roadworks on key, traffic-sensitive routes during busy times. It covers over 900 roads across the county. The scheme encourages companies to work outside peak times, at weekends, or complete work faster. The highway authority may waive charges for specific situations, such as immediate, emergency repairs within the first 48 hours. The highway authority has then reinvested the revenue raised into local highways projects and to test new technology, such as AI for repairs. Shortly after the Liberal Democrats took control of the council, they announced that there was £420,000 in funding from lane rental schemes available to be invested back into the road network. 

• Funding: Schemes are designed to be self-funding.

• Conservative Councillor/Council Lead: Cllr Paul Marshall, Conservative Group Leader

• Further Reading: Conservative leading West Sussex winning on highways; Lane Rental keeps traffic flowing by reducing roadworks in West Sussex; Lane rental schemes: guidance for English highway authorities