Driving devolution: six ways transport and infrastructure authorities can establish high-performing transport teams

United Kingdom | 17 November 2025
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In this article in our series on devolution and local government reorganisation, Leanne Smith-Perrins looks at the critical success factors to establish high-performing transport teams capable of delivering transformative infrastructure at scale in strategic mayoral authorities and foundation strategic authorities.

Devolution and local government reorganisation is reshaping the landscape for transport authorities across England. With new strategic mayoral authority and foundation strategic authority councils emerging alongside existing authorities, the challenge is clear: how do you build an organisation capable of delivering transformative infrastructure at scale?

At WSP, we’ve worked alongside both new and established authorities to help them navigate this change. From governance design to workforce strategy, we know what it takes to build high-performing transport teams. Here are three critical success factors:

1. Build for collaboration and clarity

Transforming, or in many cases establishing a new strategic mayoral authority or strategic foundation authority is a complex, multi-agency transformation. As responsibilities shift within the regional model, alignment across interfaces, particularly between transport, highways, planning and infrastructure—is essential. Without a shared understanding of roles and boundaries, delivery risks becoming fragmented and inefficient. There's also a risk that the new authority is perceived as ‘just another layer’.

Effective collaboration starts with trust, and trust is built through clear governance, aligned timelines and open communication. Authorities must invest early in joint team working and constituent authority alignment. This groundwork enables formal mechanisms, such as any inter-authority agreements, to be established more easily and ensures recommendations are grounded in both technical expertise and regional context.

At WSP, our transformation experts have supported authorities in designing regional investment delivery models that define how funding is assured, managed, and delivered. Our approach balances strategic oversight with empowered local delivery, accelerating decisions, reducing friction and enabling coherent infrastructure planning across the region.

Leanne Smith Perrins

Director, Transformation and Change, WSP

United Kingdom

2. Invest in people and capabilities

Transport authorities require more than planning expertise: they depend on policy leaders, innovators, commercial strategists and data specialists to drive impactful change. Becoming an employer of choice means building a culture that attracts talent and supports growth. Interim roles can help bridge gaps, but long-term success depends on building internal capability.

Organisational design must be agile, built for the first day an authority is a legal entity as well as long-term evolution. Authorities must look beyond immediate setup and consider how their structures, capabilities and governance will scale to meet future regional priorities.

Equally critical are the corporate enabling functions such as human resources, finance, legal, IT and procurement. These must be fit for purpose from the outset, with the capacity to support delivery through transition and beyond.

Our transformation experts have supported authorities in designing workforce strategies that balance short-term delivery with long-term identity and resilience.

Becoming an employer of choice means building a culture that attracts talent and supports growth.

Leanne Smith-Perrins Director, Transformation and Change, WSP

Leanne Smith-Perrins Director, Transformation and Change, WSP

3. Treat setup as transformation

Transforming an existing, or establishing a new authority isn’t business as usual, and it shouldn’t be a simple ‘lift and shift’ as powers move. It’s a transformation programme. This is a rare opportunity to create a regional transport operating model that reflects local ambition and is flexible enough to evolve with future devolution deals and powers.

Success depends on integration with local growth plans, spatial strategies, housing, planning, and environmental goals. Joined-up thinking across these domains enables coherent investment decisions and better outcomes for communities.

Authorities must also focus on what’s practical and achievable for the first day an authority is a legal entity (day one), prioritising the strategic capability to influence investment, shape the local transport plan and project pipeline, and maintain service levels through transition. Collaborative working across constituent authorities is essential to shaping the future while keeping delivery on track.

Our transformation experts help authorities treat setup as a strategic transformation, not a technical exercise. Our approach combines organisational design, change management, and infrastructure expertise to create integrated, Future Ready^TM models that reflect both local context and national ambition.

The Road Ahead

Infrastructure authorities are central to the success of devolution and local government reorganisation. Those that lead with clarity, capability, and collaboration will be best placed to deliver for their communities. At WSP, we bring the technical expertise, transformation insight, and delivery experience to help make that happen.

Leanne Smith-Perrins, Director, Transformation and Change Management, WSP

Leanne Smith-Perrins is a Director in WSP’s advisory services team working as a transformation and change management specialist. Her work spans the public and private sectors to help organisations to shape, design and implement business change.