Will new air quality bill drive change or simply tax Welsh logistics, asks Logistics UK

Thursday 30 March 2023

Business group Logistics UK is querying the impact that the Welsh government’s new Environment Bill could have on air quality across the country. As Kate Jennings, the organisation’s Policy Director explains, its members – which power the Welsh supply chain both nationally and internationally – are concerned that the planned rule changes could become a straight tax on hauliers, rather than the driver of real change to deliver air quality improvements:

“Improving the quality of the air we all breathe is a priority for our members, and our sector has already taken huge strides both to improve air quality and develop plans to decarbonise transport, investing in new fleets, new technologies and the latest operational processes. However, we cannot effect change in isolation, so it’s vital that the Welsh government has a strategic plan for achieving cleaner air, backed by infrastructure investment and avoiding a patchwork of regulations that simply add costs to doing business. It is also essential to avoid unintended consequences, such as increasing traffic on alternative routes or lengthening journeys, which could increase carbon emissions and costs.

“Our members are an essential part of the Welsh economy, delivering goods to customers, public services and businesses. They are committed to improving air quality, and we look forward to engaging with the Welsh government and the Senedd to shape a solution which works for all road users as well as the public at large.”

Logistics UK 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 decarbonisation, 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.