The 4th HTMA Conference "Facing the Future in Hard Times" held on Wednesday 6th April in Westminster, London has been hailed "a huge success".

HTMA received the largest attendance to date, with senior people from the private and public sector keen to address the challenges and opportunities that they are facing together in the wake of the Comprehensive Spending Review by the Government.

Over 250 delegates heard about the agenda for highways maintenance and management sector change, with keynote presentations from industry leaders focusing on the need to create positive opportunity out of the financial crisis by achieving greater efficiency and relying more on collaboration and innovation between public and private sector organisations.

"The conference was the perfect platform to reiterate our commitment to ensuring improvements in the sector," said HTMA Secretariat Director Phil Shirley. "We have collectively determined the need of this difficult hour, which is closer collaboration between the public and private sectors to deliver an improved service to the public.

"It was a testament to the influence of HTMA and the commitment of the private and public sector to work together, to see so many senior people at the conference at a time when our industry is going through one of its most difficult ever periods.

"Everyone gathered at the event played some part in safe guarding the UK road network.  The journey continues and it will be a decade of change rather than an overnight turnaround, but new improved ways of working together are happening now and will accelerate and increase as a result of this meeting of hearts and minds."

The 4th HTMA conference, aptly subtitled "A Brave New World", marked the launch the Highways Maintenance Efficiency Programme (HMEP) by Transport Minister Norman Baker MP.

Speaking as the key note speaker Baker said: "This is a £6 million programme designed to improve efficiencies and maximise returns on investment in highways maintenance through research and development of products for local authorities".

"It will capitalise on and promote existing best practice and it will provide practical and deliverable solutions for local authorities through case studies, guidance and toolkits."

Industry figures believe that if all highway authorities adopted the best practice on procurement and collaboration of some authorities, up to 25%, or £1bn, could be saved.

Baker also said a new potholes initiative would be launched. He wanted "to address the causes as well as the symptoms" to offer a "long-term solution for a long-standing problem". Interim findings of the potholes project will be ready by October.