Sheffield Councillors Push for Lane Rental Scheme to Tackle Roadwork Disruption

Sheffield Labour councillors have submitted a motion calling for tougher action on utility companies carrying out disruptive roadworks on the city’s busiest routes during peak hours.

The motion, due to be debated at an upcoming council meeting, highlights growing frustration among residents about what it describes as “repeated and often uncoordinated” works taking place across Sheffield.

To address the problem, councillors Ben Miskell and Mark Rusling are urging the council to explore introducing a Lane Rental scheme — a system that allows local authorities to charge utility firms up to £2,500 per day for digging up key roads during high-traffic times.

Coordinating Roadworks and Tackling Congestion

The proposal argues that Lane Rental would encourage better coordination between utility providers, reduce unnecessary disruption, and help keep traffic flowing. Crucially, the motion suggests that any revenue raised from the charges should be ringfenced for reinvestment into the city’s highways network.

This could include resurfacing pavements, repairing potholes, and delivering wider congestion-busting measures — improvements that many residents say are urgently needed.

Next Steps

If approved, the motion would see the council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee consider adding the scheme to its work programme. It would also require collaboration with the Environmental Services and Regulation Policy Committee to ensure charges are enforced when utility companies dig up priority routes at the busiest times.

Councillors argue the approach could strike a balance between allowing essential infrastructure work to continue and protecting the public from avoidable disruption.