London Congestion Charge decision: A relief to struggling businesses

Monday 02 November 2020

In response to the news that the government has refrained from including an expansion of the London Congestion Charge as a condition of Transport for London’s financial bailout package, David Wells, Chief Executive of Logistics UK, comments:

“The government’s decision to listen to the concerns of Logistics UK and its members – as outlined in my letter to Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, the Secretary of State for Transport – and refrain from expanding the London Congestion Charge is a huge relief to logistics businesses, many of whom continue to struggle financially and operationally as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Now, Logistics UK is urging government to reconsider whether logistics activity should still be included in the temporary conditions added in June 2020, which saw a significant increase in the fee and longer operating hours. With little alternative to using lorries and vans to keep London stocked with all the goods the population needs, it simply amounts to an additional tax on those charged with supporting the capital during the pandemic, and beyond.”

Logistics UK (formerly FTA) is one of the UK’s leading 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 COVID-19, 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. 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, 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.