The UK Department for Transport has published formal guidance setting out the terms of reference for the Everitt Review.
According to the Department for Transport, the guidance, published on 3 November 2026, lays out the remit that will steer the Everitt Review. The document is presented as a framework to focus the review’s work and clarify what it will examine.
The guidance sets out the terms of reference and signals the review’s aim to ensure that transport investment more effectively supports economic growth across local areas. The material released by the department frames the Everitt Review as an instrument intended to align investment decisions with regional and local growth objectives.
The published terms of reference are intended to define the scope and priorities that will govern the review. They will determine how the review approaches questions of where, when and how investment is directed and assessed in order to meet its stated aim.
The department describes the Everitt Review as a vehicle for assessing current arrangements and identifying ways transport investment can better back growth in every local area. The guidance therefore functions as an organising statement for subsequent work and any recommendations that emerge from the review.
The publication of the terms of reference provides a formal starting point for the Everitt Review. By setting out what the review will cover, the guidance establishes expectations for its focus on transport investment and local economic outcomes.
Scope and purpose
The guidance document defines the review’s terms of reference and sets the central purpose of the exercise. That purpose, as stated by the department, is to help ensure transport spending and planning support growth across all local areas.
Local growth focus
The guidance places emphasis on the local dimension, indicating that the Everitt Review is to consider how investment decisions affect communities outside major economic centres. The department frames the review as seeking ways to make transport investment more effective for local growth.
The Department for Transport’s release on 3 November 2026 establishes the procedural foundation for the Everitt Review. Further steps in the review process will follow the framework and priorities set out in the published terms of reference.