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National Highways: Expenditure

Asked by Shivani RajaConservativeDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 30 June 2026UIN 13259

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2026 to Question 5451 on National Highways: Expenditure, how much of the expenditure on National Highways' in-house external affairs function since 4 July 2024 was spent on (a) salaries, (b) agency staff, (c) communications consultants, (d) stakeholder engagement events, (e) hospitality, (f) travel and (g) other expenditure.

Answered by Simon Lightwood

For the period between 4 July and 31 May 2026, the National Highways in-house External Affairs Team's expenditure was as follows:

(a) £1.6 million on salaries.

(b) Zero spend on agency staff.

(c) £280,921 on a technical professional services’ public affairs contract, which includes the provision of stakeholder engagement events. An additional £3,045.60 was spent separately on stakeholder events in the period.

(d) see above.

(e) £29 on hospitality.

(f) £53,328 on travel (July 2024 to March 2026 based on latest verified reporting).

(g) £58,500 on other expenditure consisting of a stakeholder monitoring service and spend on stakeholder sentiment surveys.

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