Prime minister Theresa May has announced a mini-reshuffle that saw transport minister Jesse Norman moved to the Treasury to be 'Paymaster General, and Financial Secretary'.
Mr Norman will be missed by many in the roads sector, which he made a priority of during his time at the Department for Transport.
One senior civil servant source told Highways that from his earliest days in office he made a major push on local roads and was determined to get to grips with the pothole brief.
His campaign for a local road investment strategy was warmly welcomed and his apparent interest in the minutiae of the brief, including transport economic modelling, as well as his respect for his civil service team helped win over the sector.
Michael Ellis MP will now become minister of state at the Department for Transport. He has responsibility for local roads policy and funding.
He was previously arts minister and is MP for Northampton North.
