Policy Campaign Spotlight – July 2021

LAY-BY PARKING CLAMPING BAN

The Department for Transport (DfT) has rejected Kent County Council’s request to extend clamping of heavy goods vehicles over five tonnes that park in lay-bys for more than 45 minutes in certain Kent boroughs and districts after 30 June 2021, following Logistics UK’s engagement with Transport Minister Rachel Maclean MP.

We put forward a strong case that DfT should not support KCC’s request, arguing that hauliers were already prepared to cross the EU border before entering Kent and not using lay-bys to complete paperwork. Given the severe lack of lorry parking in Kent, we also stated that DfT must withdraw the ban as it is unacceptable to clamp drivers if there are no alternative places to take breaks.

In addition, we also submitted to the KCC consultation and engaged with freight councils and grass roots supporters to ensure that the voice of the industry was heard.

DVLA REINSTATES ‘NOTIFY’ SERVICE

Following a meeting with DVLA’s CEO where Logistics UK escalated its members’ concerns that drivers were having issues understanding their application status, DVLA has now reinstated its ‘Notify’ service. As of 15 June, drivers will receive confirmation by email, SMS or post that their application has been received which enables drivers to make an informed decision as to their eligibility under Section 88 while their application is being processed and provide operators with an additional level of assurance.

LOW EMISSIONS ZONES IN SCOTLAND

Logistics UK worked closely with Dundee and Edinburgh city councils and Transport for Scotland, and responded to various consultations from both the Scottish Government and the relevant cities to engage on the Low Emission Zones (LEZ) proposals. The original proposals placed the burden of responsibility of reducing pollution primarily on operators of freight and logistics business vehicles.

Following our input, the cities have revised and republished their LEZ proposals which now include cars on the list of restricted vehicles, as per Scottish Government guidelines.

FORS REVIEW

Logistics UK engaged with Transport for London (TfL), and participated in one-to-one discussions and group workshops to push for a review of the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) to address the key concerns of our members. The final report addresses many of these concerns, including transparency and independence around standard setting, the prescriptive nature of evidencing the FORS standard, recognition of other standards to demonstrate FORS requirements, and the appropriateness of the promotional requirement of the FORS Gold standard.

INTEGRATING UK-EU IT SYSTEMS FOR AGRI-FOOD PRODUCTS

An application programming interface (API) to integrate the UK and EU certification systems for agri-food products has been agreed with the EU and will be fast-tracked for delivery by September 2021.

Logistics UK has been pushing for a rapid solution, engaging with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland (NI), and meeting with senior government directors and political figures across the UK and EU. Without this engagement, the process could have taken up to two years. These systems ensure border inspection staff on both sides are made aware that sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) products have the correct certification in an efficient way to meet EU and UK standards. Because of the NI Protocol, this affects GB exports to the EU and NI.

*www.logistics.org.uk/campaigns

Published On: 08/07/2021 16:00:27

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