Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council is the latest local authority to be granted Local Lane Rental Scheme (LLRS) powers, with more to come across the country.

LLRSs put daily charges in place for road works on a local authority's busiest roads - helping incentivise efficient works and, where possible, work outside peak times. A charge can reach a maximum of £2,500 per day for works at busiest times – although the daily rate can vary depending on the type of work, when they will be carried out, and the disruption it is expected to cause.

Cllr Andy Hadley, BCP Council's portfolio holder for highways, said: ‘We know just how frustrating roadworks can be for our residents – but we also know how important it is to improve our transport network, infrastructure and maintain and renew essential services.

‘These new powers are a really significant step forward and have been proven to work in other areas across the country.

‘As the first local authority in the South West to be implementing these powers I am really pleased that our application has been given the go-ahead and our officers will now get to work on the finer details before they come into effect next spring.'

Currently, eight authorities have schemes in operation:

  • Transport for London (TfL)
  • Kent County Council
  • Surrey County Council
  • West Sussex County Council
  • East Sussex County Council
  • North Yorkshire Council
  • Oxfordshire County Council
  • Buckinghamshire Council

In the first 16 months of West Sussex's scheme coming into effect, the council stated that it had reduced the time taken for roadworks by a combined 3,083 days and seen the length of time taken for utility roadworks shortened by 32.48%.

Schemes must receive approval from the secretary of state for transport before they become operational and the income generated is ‘ringfenced' to ensure that 50% of any surplus is invested into road maintenance and measures to further reduce roadwork disruption.

Leeds City Council, Kirklees Council, Wakefield Council, Southampton City Council and Durham County Council all have plans that are approved and due to be launched between now and 2027, with the Bournemouth-based scheme the latest to join the list.

Under the TfL scheme, four London Boroughs operate their own lane rental programmes – Camden, Enfield, Merton and Lambeth – with a further eight (Barnet, Hammersmith & Fulham, Havering, Kingston upon Thames, Redbridge, Southwark, Sutton and Tower Hamlets) having approved applications due to go live from Autumn 2026.