4 July 2023 | Innovation | Our Work
The Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) Innovation Festival got underway today (4 July) with more than 80 local authorities in attendance at the event.
Chief Executive Martin Duffy opened the event which is taking place from 4-5 July at Newark Showground, and brings together local authorities, central government, the supply chain, associations and academia.
Visitors to this year’s LCRIG Innovation Festival will be able to see a variety of sector-leading outdoor demonstrations and exhibitions, ranging from the repair and reinstatement of roads to the application of connected vehicles. Live demonstrations from 13 companies will take place over the two days.
Day 1 of the event kicked off with a ‘Meet the Innovators’ session which featured updates from some of the winners of last year’s Innovation Festival and the councils they have been paired with.
The session is designed to inform and inspire those in attendance with delegates hearing directly from personnel who are involved in the implementation of new innovations on local council road networks.
Tomorrow (5 July) delegates will hear an expert panel of speakers discuss developing new skills and innovation in highways. Day two of the event will kick off with a session entitled ‘Skills factor: developing new skills and innovation in highways’. LCRIG’s Finance and Operations Director Kerry Winstanley will chair the session and is set to be joined by a number of younger highways professionals including Jake Rankin, Design Engineer, Dorset Council; Harry Jezzard, Civil Engineering Technician Apprentice, West Sussex CC; Charlie Dunkerley, Apprentice Engineer, East Riding of Yorkshire Council; and Jack Belcher, Trainee Engineer at Amey Staffordshire.
Alan Milne, Director of Apprenticeships and Employer Engagement at Salford City College Group, completes the lineup and will offer an insight into the collaborative partnership that has been formed between Salford City College, Salford City Council, and the Local Council Roads Innovation Group (LCRIG) which will see Salford City College offer new Highways Maintenance Apprenticeships.
There will also be an update from Laura Murphy, Head of Road Network Statistics: Road lengths and Road condition, Road Network Statistics, Department for Transport.
The Innovation Festival is an event where products, solutions, new innovations and techniques can be displayed and demonstrated over a range of live demonstration sessions. The event provides local authorities with a chance to find out about new innovations from the supply chain that will help to meet their current and future challenges.
Follow the Local Council Roads Innovation Group on LinkedIn to keep up-to-date with the Festival activities.