Industry calls for a Welsh maritime and logistics council recognised in government plan

The long-promised Welsh government’s Maritime and Logistics Plan, published yesterday (19 March), recognises the critical role that the logistics sector plays in supporting trade and economic growth across Wales and the wider UK. And according to business group Logistics UK, it is now imperative that the country’s government acts swiftly to deliver the plans outlined in the strategy.

“Logistics UK and our members have consistently called for a focused, coordinated approach to developing Wales’s logistics and transport strategy, including the creation of a Welsh Maritime and Logistics Council, chaired by a Welsh government minister or senior civil servant,” says Josh Fenton, Senior Policy Manager at Logistics UK. “The recommendation of exactly this proposal in the newly published  plan shows that the Welsh government has been listening to our requests and recognises the critical contribution that our members can make to deliver economic growth and provide supply chain resilience across Wales and the wider UK. Our members are keen to play their part in delivering on these promises and keen to get started.”

The plan, published after several lengthy delays,  identifies a set of priority challenges and opportunities for the sector, including the need to decarbonise freight, support modal shift, improve infrastructure resilience and land use planning, address workforce shortages and enhance the attractiveness of logistics careers, including through improved driver facilities.  It also reflects lessons from recent supply chain disruptions, including problems caused by the pandemic and issues affecting Irish Sea routes.

Fenton continues: “This plan provides the blueprint to maximise the impact that the maritime and logistics sectors can have to drive growth for Wales and the wider UK economy. It is now imperative that whichever party forms the next Welsh government implements the strategy outlined in the plan to maximise the benefits for the economy at home and abroad.”

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, water and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please visit logistics.org.uk