The Department for Transport (DfT) has published guidance requiring local highway authorities to produce detailed transparency reports on maintenance activities to secure additional funding. Under the new requirements, 25% of the £500m additional maintenance funding for 2025-26 will be contingent on authorities publishing reports by June 2025 demonstrating compliance with best practice criteria. The reports must detail five-year maintenance spending comparisons, network condition statistics, pothole repair estimates, and planned maintenance activities. Authorities must also submit additional information by October 2025, signed off by council leaders and Section 151 officers, covering asset values and compliance with best practice criteria. The requirements apply to all local highway authorities in England, including Transport for London and mayoral combined authorities.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced proposed planning reforms designed to make it easier for renters and residents without private driveways to access electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities. The proposed measures include requiring the installation of chargepoints in all new covered car parks and consulting on the removal of planning permission requirements for cross-pavement charging gullies. DfT also confirmed that it would consider reducing regulatory barriers for EV drivers without driveways who wish to install cross-pavement charging solutions, potentially saving them up to £250 in application fees.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced the proposed revocation of the A1 in Northumberland: Morpeth to Ellingham development consent order 2024. The draft revocation order applies to England and is currently open for public representations to the Secretary of State for Transport.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced renewed commitment to the Future of Flight strategic outcome at the UKRI's Future of Flight challenge event. The Aviation Minister revealed plans to chair a renewed Future of Flight Industry Group, bringing together experts, local leaders, and government to address opportunities and challenges in the sector. DfT also welcomed the establishment of a new Regulatory Innovation Office focused on drones and autonomous technology. The Civil Aviation Authority is working towards transitioning from short-term trials to longer-term established operations for drone usage, with emphasis on the Airspace Modernisation Strategy as a top priority.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed that its Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Reform Bill has been approved for pre-legislative scrutiny, enabling a parliamentary select committee to review a draft version before the Bill is formally introduced to Parliament. The Local Transport Minister, Lilian Greenwood MP, announced the development in a letter to the Institute of Licensing. The Bill aims to modernise taxi and private hire vehicle legislation, strengthen public safety measures, provide regulators with enhanced enforcement powers, mandate a national database of all licensed drivers, vehicles and operators and improve accessibility protections for disabled passengers.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has opened a consultation on the draft statement of safety principles for automated vehicles. The statutory statement of safety principles will guide the Secretary of State for Transport’s decisions on whether an automated vehicle can be deployed on UK roads. It may also be used in the ongoing monitoring of authorised self-driving vehicles. The statement will provide guidance on the behaviours expected from vehicles in meeting the self-driving test of travelling safely and autonomously. The statement of safety principles is required under section 2 of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024. It forms part of the safety framework designed to ensure automated vehicles are safe to deploy and remain safe once deployed. The consultation closes on 9 September 2026.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation on funding approaches for the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) revenue certainty mechanism, with a focus on an industry-funded model. This mechanism aims to mitigate revenue uncertainty risks for emerging SAF producers. The consultation seeks feedback on a proposal to fund the mechanism through introducing a levy on jet fuel suppliers and addresses funding and design issues not covered in the DfT’s April 2024 consultation on revenue certainty options. The consultation closes on 31 March 2025.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation on updating the GB type approval regime for road vehicles to align it with the latest safety standards from the EU and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. This update aims to streamline the vehicle approvals processes for the automotive industry, reducing the need for unique GB designs and duplicate testing for sellers in both the UK and EU markets. The consultation closes at 11.59pm on 2 December 2024.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched an open consultation seeking views on modernising laws on powered mobility devices, including electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters, to reflect modern technology and improve safety. The consultation explores updating terminology, reviewing size, speed and age rules, clarifying where devices can be used, and considering whether additional mobility‑related devices should be permitted in public spaces. The consultation closes on 31 March 2026.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation on proposals for new regulations under the Seafarers' (Wages and Working Conditions) Act 2023, which would extend pay and working condition protections to seafarers on routes between the UK and France and between the UK and the Channel Islands. The proposals would require seafarers to be paid at least the equivalent of the National Minimum Wage throughout journeys, introduce limits on maximum periods of work at sea and minimum rest periods and establish new declaration and enforcement arrangements. The consultation seeks views on the scope of the proposed measures, how they would operate in practice and the approach to compliance monitoring and enforcement. The consultation closes on 17 July 2026.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation on a revised Safety at Street Works and Road Works Code of Practice, developed with Transport Scotland, the Welsh Government and the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The draft statutory guidance would update the 2013 code on signing, lighting and guarding works on public roads, reflecting changes in legislation, technical guidance and working practices. Proposed changes include safer and more accessible pedestrian routes, updated arrangements for cycle routes, new definitions of hard and soft road closures, strengthened provision for disabled and other vulnerable road users, revised diagrams and technical content, and expanded guidance on mobile works, short-duration works, level crossings and tramways. The code applies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, subject to specified exclusions. The consultation closes on 14 December 2026.

The Department for Transport (DfT) designated the National Networks National Policy Statement (NNNPS) on 24 May 2024. The 2024 NNNPS has effect for any applications for development consent accepted for examination after 24 May 2024, while the 2015 NNNPS has effect for any applications for development consent accepted for examination before 24 May 2024.