The new head of Britain’s leading highways trade body has vowed to ‘develop stronger, productive and results-orientated outcomes across the sector’ despite the pressures of Government spending cuts.

Philip Hoare was appointed new chairman of the Highways Term Maintenance Association (HTMA) at the organisations AGM in London last week and immediately committed the organisation to further improving the quality of highways management and maintenance in a bid to reinforce the message that reliable and safe roads are paramount to the social and economic needs of the nation.

Launched five years ago, HTMA is recognised as the UK’s only trade body dedicated to highways management and maintenance.  It is a group of 21 contracting and consulting companies, including major international names such as Atkins, Balfour Beatty and Tarmac.

39 year-old Mr Hoare is currently Managing Director of Highway Services at infrastructure consultants Atkins.  He replaces Mike Notman, Operations Director at Amey, who will remain on the HTMA Executive Board. 

“It is a great privilege to be elected chairman at such a pivotal time. I don’t have to go looking for an agenda,” Mr Hoare said. “It is there in front of me.  We are facing unprecedented times of austerity with spending cuts and we must work with our client organisations and colleagues across the industry to face this challenge whilst minimising the impact on front line customer services.”  

Mr Hoare says HTMA has already made significant strides and has established excellent working relationships with government and other stakeholder bodies, but warned that, as the effects of the economic downturn and the subsequent reduction in public sector spending demonstrate only too clearly, the industry can never afford to be complacent.

“I believe that we must rise to the challenge and see the difficult times ahead as an opportunity to work more closely with other highways maintenance sector bodies and clients to help find and promote a common ground that drives out waste and duplication from the services that we provide.”

“I am very proud to be part of this industry and will use my two years as chair of the HTMA to raise the profile of what we do and to develop stronger, productive and results-orientated outcomes across the sector.”

David Hutchinson, Executive Director of HTMA, said: "I am delighted to welcome Philip as the new chairman of HTMA. He brings a wealth of experience to the role of chairman and a new approach to the challenges and opportunities facing the industry."

One of the biggest names in the construction industry, meanwhile, has been appointed as a Full Member of HTMA.  Tarmac National Contracting, part of the multi-national Tarmac Group, joined the influential trade body last week.

“HTMA is demonstrating that it can provide a strong collective voice for our industry to highlight the critical importance of a well managed and maintained highway asset to the health of the UK economy,” said Nigel Dyer, Maintenance Director at Tarmac National Contracting.

“We welcome the opportunity to work closely with members to share our knowledge and expertise in order to help the industry raise the bar for more efficient, safer and sustainable ways of working,” he added.

Ends

Editors Notes:

HTMA’s membership of leading consultants and contractors has a combined turnover of more than £3 billion, over 20,000 employees and maintains approximately 400,000 km of highway across the UK – approximately 80% of British roads.

The HTMA members are: Amey, Atkins, Balfour Beatty, BAM Nuttall, BEAR Scotland, Carillion, Colas, Costain, Enterprise, Volker Highways, Halcrow, Hyder, Jacobs, May Gurney, Morrison, Mott MacDonald, Mouchel, Ringway, Scott Wilson, Skanska and Tarmac National Contracting.  Kiely Bros, Nynas, Petroplus and WJ Linkline Group are Associate Members.

Issued on behalf of the HTMA Press Office by Joan Roemmele.  For enquiries from the media, journalists and researchers only, the HTMA Press Office can be contacted on +44 (0) 1782 443080, +44 (0) 7917 638336 or e-mail: joan@htma.co.uk