Budget 2020: Road and rail investment good news for industry

Wednesday 11 March 2020

In response to news today (11 March 2020) that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, will commit billions in spending to improve infrastructure across the UK, Christopher Snelling, Head of UK Policy, comments: 

“FTA has been urging government to commit to a programme of infrastructure improvement for several years; we are thrilled to see the Chancellor has pledged to spend billions of pounds on upgrades across the UK. Businesses within the logistics sector rely on safe, effective and well-maintained road networks to keep goods moving across the UK, but the poor state of roads across the nation has compromised their ability to do so; the economic performance of the country has suffered as a result. Now, we are calling on government to press ahead urgently with its plans; the UK’s road and rail network has been subject to chronic underinvestment for many years and this programme is long overdue.” 

Efficient logistics is vital to keep the UK trading, directly having an impact on more than seven million people employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With Brexit, 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. FTA is one of the biggest business groups in the UK, supporting, shaping and standing up for safe and efficient logistics. We are the only business group in the UK that represents all of logistics, with members from the road, rail, sea 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.