“We are doing work in the area of skills working with Salford Council and Salford College, helping them put on their first apprenticeship programme for highways operatives, something that we are looking to perhaps potentially roll out into other regions,” says Local Council Roads Innovation Group CEO Paula Claytonsmith, as she tells Highways Voices how the organisation is so much more than an events organiser.  “I’m also behind the scenes looking at how innovation adoption is more likely to happen in some authorities than in other authorities, and also, there’s the work that we do connecting councils to councils.”

In the podcast, the new CEO, who took over running LCRIG in July does talk about the forthcoming Strictly Highways event in Blackpool in October and November’s Transport Technology Forum Autumn Update in Birmingham: “There are so many impactful policies coming out next year, whether it’s the national parking platform, whether it’s digital TROs, whether it’s quantum computing… whether it’s all the other areas that we know are happening around connected vehicles and so forth. So definitely a must attend.”

You’ll also hear about other events you can be part of and how to enter the DfT Special Recognition awards, news from the Highways News website and why Adrian Tatum has chosen an idea in Lincolnshire to win this week’s Adrian’s Accolade.