The new Chief Executive of the RSTA, Mike Hansford has won the prestigious “Best of Britain” accolade at this year’s DfT Special Recognition Awards at the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) Strictly Highways event in Blackpool.
The former Highways Asset Management Team Leader at Dorset Council was nominated by colleagues at Dorset for the Winvic-sponsored category. These colleagues said Mr Hansford has transformed the county’s approach to highway maintenance, whilst also being an ambassador for highways asset management both regionally and nationally; through forward thinking, collaboration, innovation, knowledge sharing/skill building, strategic development and stakeholder engagement.
In addition to the DfT Special Recognition Awards, two special awards were presented during the evening. Steve Spender, former Chief Executive at the IHE, and Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Transport at Plymouth City Council, were both recognised for their outstanding dedication to public service and the highways sector.
The awards, hosted on behalf of DfT for the last five years, were established by the late Steve Berry OBE, former Head of Highways Maintenance, Innovation, and Resilience at the Department for Transport. These awards continue to honour Steve’s legacy by celebrating excellence and innovation in the sector. Martin Duffy, former CEO of LCRIG, presented the awards with the other winners listed below.
Best Use of Technology in the Highways and Transportation Sector – Sponsored by Clearview Intelligence
This award recognises an organisation or partnership that can demonstrate the best use of technology within the highways and transportation sector.
Winner – VivaCity and Transport for West Midlands – Boosting road safety as part of a UK first AI project.
Transport for West Midlands part of the West Midlands Combined Authority, has partnered with AI transport technology company VivaCity to deliver a UK-first project to improve future road safety within the West Midlands, using innovative AI-powered computer vision technology to gather road safety insights and near miss data. The judges said ‘This is a great innovative use of AI technology to gather road safety insights and near miss data’.
Judges comment – This is a great innovative use of AI technology to gather road safety insights and near miss data.
The judges also decided to give a Highly Commended award to Durham County Council in recognition of the council’s engagement with National Underground Asset Register. The judges said: “Durham County Council are to be commended for the commitment to innovation and technology, it’s very refreshing to see a local authority having such an appetite for innovation and forward thinking.”
Transport Technology Innovation Sponsored by the Transport Technology Forum
This award recognises transformative innovations addressing the evolving demands and future challenges of the highways and transportation sector.
Winner – Aisin RoadTrace – RoadTrace™, a pioneering data insights offering by Aisin, is revolutionising road safety and maintenance across the UK and beyond.
After two years of successful implementations, including a significant project with Transport Scotland, RoadTrace™ has been adopted by more than 10 local and county authorities and involved in a National Highways pilot. This innovative offering delivers critical, proactive insights that help prevent collisions and save lives.
The judges said: “This is a really good innovation that is using new technology to meet real issues.”
Collaborative Partnership (between council(s) and supply chain) Sponsored by Kiely Group
This award provides recognition to outstanding partnerships, collaborations, or joint initiatives significantly contributing to the advancement and improvement of the highways and transportation sector.
This year we received a very high number of collaborative submissions (22 entries, involving 123 organisations), and it was fantastic to see all the different ways that the public and the private sector are working together to deliver large scale projects, public/private service delivery and many other complex partnerships.
Winner – Multevo and Shropshire Council for a collaborative partnership that overcomes common industry challenges.
The collaborative partnership has revolutionised road maintenance in Shropshire, demonstrating exceptional innovation and collaboration. By introducing hybrid work methodologies and assuming comprehensive responsibilities, the partnership has significantly reduced costs, improved public satisfaction, and set new industry standards. The success of the partnership exemplifies the potential of SME contractors to deliver tier 1 services, fostering local economic growth and improving infrastructure. This award recognises the remarkable achievements of a partnership that has truly transformed highway maintenance in Shropshire and beyond.
The judges said: “We were really impressed with the winner who provided very detailed insights into their partnership impact with their Local Authority by providing evidence of collaborative decision-making, impressive analysis of the collaborative relationship and what it is achieving to ensure impact is achieved across a range of areas including, safety, efficiency, productivity whilst also scaling their work to impressive levels that might be expected from much larger organisations and partnerships.”
Net Zero Project of the Year sponsored by Redspeed
This award recognises an outstanding innovation project delivered by an organisation/partnership that has demonstrably contributed to accelerating or reducing the cost of decarbonisation and evidencing a reduction in environmental impacts, managing embedded carbon within construction and reducing air pollution.
Winner – A E Yates for the A595 Moresby Hall Improvement Scheme.
The A595 Moresby Hall Improvement Scheme, is a £16 million ‘net zero’ project commissioned by National Highways under (Scheme Delivery Framework) SDF. As key partners, A E Yates worked with National Highways to understand and deliver against their environmental commitments. Delivered in phases from December 2022 to January 2024.
The judges said: “The partnership has worked together to reduce the environment impact of the project and deliver tangible carbon savings and improve local biodiversity.”
Employer Initiative of the Year sponsored by WJ
This award recognises an outstanding initiative that has demonstrably contributed to supporting the retention of employees and/or encouraged new employees into the sector, possibly demonstrating a wider social value impact.
Winner – Amey for Staffordshire Social Value Team – the Journey to Work Initiative.
The “Journey to Work” project, initiated by Amey in collaboration with Staffordshire County Council, South Staffordshire Council, Wolverhampton Job Centre, Hays Recruitment, RMS, Staffordshire Employability Team, and Staffordshire Care Leavers Team, has been a remarkable success since its inception in 2015. The project has delivered £122 million worth of socially impactful activities, representing 28% of the total contract value.
The judges said: “This entry has brought together multiple organisations to addresses sector wide issues of recruiting and retaining staff, whilst also addressing social issues associated with poorer or disadvantaged backgrounds, care leavers etc. Watching Tom Hassell’s story was really powerful, so congratulations to Tom, to Amey and all of the other organisations involved.”
Highways Apprentice of the Year sponsored by Eurovia
This award celebrates outstanding apprentices who have made significant contributions and a positive impact on their course, workplace or the wider highways sector during their apprenticeship.
Winner – Kieran May – Apprentice Highways Operative, at A E Yates.
Throughout his apprenticeship, Kieran has made a profound overall impact on the highways sector, significantly influencing his workplace, projects, and colleagues. His contributions extend beyond the immediate scope of their role, demonstrating a commitment to enhancing both project outcomes and industry practices.
The judges said: “Kieran’s impact across his workplace, projects and colleagues shone through in the submission. Kieran has been an inspiration to others as he delivered successful projects with contributions to safety, sustainability and innovation, alongside taking part in local skills initiatives and mentoring new apprentices.”
(Picture – LCRIG)
