Labour has confirmed that local authorities across the UK have the full power to install speed cameras proactively without waiting for fatalities or serious injuries to occur.
Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood made it clear during a Commons debate on Tuesday evening that councils can implement preventative road safety measures without permission.
The Future of Roads Minister told the House of Commons that existing Department for Transport guidance is not mandatory, with authorities "invited to set their own deployment criteria if they wish".
"It is a myth to say that they can't act until there've been a number of fatalities. They already can, and I want to be clear with them around that," Greenwood told MPs.
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Under current guidance, local authorities can only enforce speed cameras if casualties occur in the area
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The clarification came during a debate secured by Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart, who challenged current Government guidance that suggested fixed speed cameras should not be installed until after "three or more fatal or serious injury collisions" have occurred.
Greenwood acknowledged that while the guidance encourages authorities to focus resources "where they're going to have most impact", she would "certainly encourage local authorities to consider how they can take a more proactive approach".
The Minister confirmed that councils have access to various traffic management measures, including traffic calming, speed-activated warning signs and average speed cameras.
"Any authority that has the support of the local community to install such schemes has my department's full backing," Greenwood stated, adding that "a more proactive preventative approach, I would agree, is entirely sensible".
Greenwood stated that authorities have the power to set speed limits on roads
PASmart told the Commons that her constituents "feel that they are being left to fend for themselves on unsafe roads" and are "angry that nothing changes until someone is seriously hurt".
"People should not have to die or be seriously injured before something is done about dangerous speeding," Smart said, noting that provisional estimates suggest 1,633 people were killed on UK roads in 2024.
The MP called on Labour to update its national guidance to reflect a proactive approach to camera installation across the UK.
Greenwood stressed that local authorities "have the power to set speed limits on their roads" under Section 39 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which gives them a statutory duty to reduce and prevent collisions.
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She said councils should use "local knowledge of their roads" to determine appropriate measures, while identifying places with "evidence of near misses" as "incredibly valuable" for preventative action.
Several MPs raised constituency concerns during the debate, including Alex Ballinger, Conservative MP for Halesowen, who highlighted street racing issues on the A456, while Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem MP for Bath, questioned police advice that appeared to block 20mph zones near schools.
Greenwood, who represents Nottingham South, confirmed that the Government supports 20mph limits "in the right places," including outside schools, but said these should be considered "on a road-by-road basis" with local consent.
She noted that the Government is developing a new Road Safety Strategy for publication by the end of this year, with measures being put in place to address speeding.
Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood confirmed that local authorities have the power to install speed cameras without casualties happening
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Greenwood told MPs that "improving road safety is one of my department's highest priorities" and confirmed speeding would be included in the forthcoming strategy.
The Minister cited statistics showing 888 fatalities occurred in 2023 collisions where police identified speed as a factor, representing 58 per cent of all deaths where contributing factors were recorded.
Labour MP Josh Newbury for Cannock Chase pressed for "an even clearer drive from central Government", potentially including a "vision zero approach" to road deaths.
Greenwood responded that the Department for Transport "will look at what more we can do to support local authorities" and stands ready to work with those improving road safety locally.
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