Matt Eglinton, head of local highways policy at the Department for Transport (DfT), is stepping down from the role in what one industry figure described as 'a massive blow' to the local roads brief.
This will be his last day in his current post, though Mr Eglinton will remain in the DfT and is moving to the Blue Badge policy team next week.
Mr Eglinton has been a hugely popular and well respected figure in the sector and thanks to his generosity of time, interest and energy was always at the top of everyone's wish list for conference speakers.
Having taken over the role from the late great Steve Berry, Mr Eglinton had huge shoes to fill. Perhaps the biggest compliment the sector could pay to him in return for his hard work is to say Mr Berry would surely have been enormously proud of his protege's achievements.
With a work ethic second to none, Mr Eglinton supported the local roads desk through a politically turbulent time, which saw rapid shifts in policy and fluctuations in funding.
However, under the more settled parliamentary majority of the current government, Mr Eglinton helped ministers secure record funding of £1.6bn for local roads this year.
He also helped draw up the initial plans, which have been launched this financial year, for a return to an incentive element to local roads spending, which could usher in a new era of transparency and provable value for money.
Perhaps the key progress in local roads while he held the desk was a noticeable shift away from discussing just pothole repairs, towards public pledges from DfT of more long-term funding for planned reactive maintenance.
Key sector influencer, Paula Claytonsmith, chief executive of LCRIG, told Highways: 'In what has possibly been one of the most turbulent times in local roads in terms of funding and politics and changes in the sector, I would say he has done the best job and will be sorely missed.
'He always saw roads beyond just the roadway itself, and would always correct people and discuss the wider structures and asset management and user elements. He was constantly pushing people away from talking about just potholes.
'He certainly had his fingerprints over the £1.6bn record investment this year and pushed for long-term budgets in the spending review and his legacy could be that long-term funding. I hope he will feel proud of the legacy he has left; even if it has been through difficult circumstances he has much to be proud of.'
Having started in the department as a private secretary, working with John Hayes when he was a transport minister, Mr Eglinton rose rapidly, becoming a senior policy advisor at the Centre for Connect and Autonomous Vehicles.
He subsequently moved on to become highways innovation and resilience manager at DfT, before taking on head of local roads policy in 2020.
