The county council’s Street Works Charter is helping improve how essential roadworks are planned and delivered.
Founding partner Anglian Water is now completing 80% of its urgent and emergency works within three days, up from 62% before the Charter was introduced.
Led by the council, the Charter brings utility companies, highway contractors and other partners together around a shared commitment to carry out essential work safely, keep disruption to a minimum and improve information for residents, businesses and road users.
Partners commit to co-ordinating their plans, looking for opportunities to share work sites and traffic management, and re-opening roads as soon as it is safe to do so. The Charter also promotes accessible routes for pedestrians and cyclists, clear public information and high-quality repairs to roads and pavements, reducing the need for repeat visits.
Anglian Water was the first utility company to sign the Charter. As Lincolnshire’s largest utility provider, it submits around 14,000 roadwork permit applications each year, making the partnership an important part of the council’s work to keep the county moving.
The improvement in urgent and emergency works follows close working between the council and Anglian Water through the Charter. These works often need to begin at short notice to restore services or deal with immediate problems, making prompt completion particularly important for affected communities.
Ashley Behan, Traffic Manager at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Lincolnshire is seeing significant investment in essential infrastructure, and our role is to help that work take place as efficiently as possible while keeping people moving around the county. Partnering with Anglian Water through our Street Works Charter gives us a shared commitment to keep improving. It’s about practical changes that make a difference to residents, businesses and everyone using Lincolnshire’s roads.”
The council inspects approximately 70% of Anglian Water’s works at some stage during their lifecycle, helping to check safety, compliance and the standard of completed work. This oversight supports the Charter’s focus on doing work well and putting problems right.
Protecting the people carrying out essential work is another part of the partnership and Anglian Water has adopted the council’s roadworker abuse awareness signs at sites across Lincolnshire, reminding road users to treat workers with respect.
Across the wider Charter partnership, collaborative schemes involving two or more utility or highway organisations increased by 92% during 2025/26. Joint working creates opportunities to deliver improvements together and reduce repeated disruption on the same roads.
Overall, the council manages around 75,000 to 80,000 permit applications for road and street works each year. The Charter supports this coordination by encouraging organisations to share information early and find practical ways to work together.
The partnership comes as Anglian Water invests around £350 million across Lincolnshire between 2025 and 2030 to improve water and water recycling infrastructure, support growing communities and protect the environment.
James Ball, Water Distribution and IMRDS Director at Anglian Water, said: "Lincolnshire is a fantastic place to live, work and visit, and we're proud to be investing around £350 million to help make sure it has the infrastructure needed for the future. These improvements will help secure water supplies, support growth, protect the environment and build resilience to the challenges that climate change will bring in the years ahead.
"We know investment on this scale means work taking place in our communities, which is why our partnership with Lincolnshire County Council is so important. By planning ahead, coordinating activity and finding ways to reduce disruption wherever possible, we're working hard to deliver these improvements as efficiently as we can. The disruption is felt now, but these improvements will bring lasting benefits.”
Find out more about the Lincolnshire Street Works Charter at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/roads-transport/lincolnshire-street-works-charter.