🕒 Article read time: 2 minutes
"Planning reform essential to enable water freight growth," says Logistics UK as it publishes new waterborne freight report
Logistics UK launched a new report highlighting the untapped potential of the UK's inland and coastal waterways for moving freight on 18 June.
The UK Logistics Network: Waterborne Freight was launched at Multimodal 2025 and calls for a radical rethink of waterways as core components of modern multimodal logistics, and for the expansion of their use to transport freight to reduce road congestion, lower emissions, improve air quality, and enhance regional connectivity.
“Waterborne domestic freight has the potential to improve the efficiency, sustainability and resilience of the UK logistics sector, supporting the government’s own net zero targets” says Logistics UK Head of Infrastructure and Planning Policy Jonathan Walker. “Britain’s waterways have developed over centuries, linking ports to cities and connecting communities with the goods they needed long before motorways and mass railways even existed. It is time that there is coordinated action from government so businesses and the UK economy can realise again the benefits of exploiting this tried and tested delivery network.
"Planning reform is also essential to enable water freight growth," explains Mr Walker: “Too often, vital wharf sites are lost to residential development without recognition of their strategic value to the economy. Protecting freight infrastructure must be embedded in planning policies nationally and locally.”
Published On: 26/06/2025 14:22:34
Comments Section
If you are a Logistics UK member login to add comments.
News In Brief
Member alert:Â Paying PAYE and VAT bill by Direct DebitÂ
Businesses and employers can make PAYE or VAT payments simpler by signing up to pay by direct debit.
Direct debit is the most accurate way to pay PAYE and VAT tax bills, reducing the burden of having to remember to make the payment, work out what’s due or miss a payment deadline.
Payments are automatically collected from bank accounts based on the information provided in a:
• Full Payment Summary and Employer Payment Summary for PAYE tax bill
• VAT return
Visit GOV.UK to pay your PAYE bill by Direct Debit, or to pay your VAT bill using Direct Debit. Publications 2023-2024 Tax gap report HMRC has published its tax gap calculations for 2023 to 2024.
The tax gap for 2023 to 2024 is estimated at 5.3% meaning that HMRC collected 94.7% of all tax due. Small businesses account for 60% of the gap, with Corporation Tax making up 40%.
The most common behaviours contributing to the tax gap are failure to take reasonable care (31%), error (15%), and evasion (14%).
HMRC is receiving funding to help close the tax gap and increase yield by £7.5 billion a year by 2029 to 2030, including by funding an additional 5,500 compliance and 2,400 debt management staff – to ensure more of the tax due is paid, to fund public services.
Latest articles
National Highways launches Too Close for Comfort campaign
It's time to back off and stop intimidating the person driving in front of you.
Read time: 2 minutes
View article
Policy win: Government launches new strategies around growth, infrastructure and trade Â
Last month, the UK government published the long-awaited Modern Industrial Strategy, Trade Strategy, and Infrastructure Strategy – each setting out intentions, ambitions and next steps for respective policy areas, central to the future of logistics.Â
Read time: 3 minutes
View article
Generation Logistics Case Study
Grace Brown, Logistics Degree Apprentice - ASDA.
Read time: 2 minutes
View article