Transport Strategy is missing half the picture, says Logistics UK

Thursday 28 November 2024

Responding to the launch of the vision for the Integrated National Transport Strategy by the Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh, Logistics UK has said that the final strategy must recognise the critical role logistics plays in supporting our communities and economy.

Head of Cities and Infrastructure Policy Jonathan Walker says:

“The lack of mention of freight in what purports to be a vision for an Integrated National Transport Strategy is deeply disappointing. The UK needs a genuinely integrated transport strategy that meets the needs of the travelling public while facilitating the efficient movement of freight, which is critical for driving growth throughout the economy and delivering the goods that consumers and businesses rely on every day.

“Logistics UK has identified the key transport corridors and critical routes for investment and is pressing the Treasury and the Department for Transport to use our research for formally identifying the UK’s Logistics Network and use this as the basis of a 30-year infrastructure strategy.

“The Transport Secretary has rightly highlighted the need to reform the appraisal system to give sufficient weight to transport projects that enhance access to jobs, boost productivity, and help businesses grow and these are areas where the logistics sector has extensive experience. Around 8% of the nation’s workforce work in logistics and the sector contributes £185 billon to the economy which means that, if appraisals are properly reformed, the result should be greater investment in the UK’s critical supply chain infrastructure. We will continue to work with the government to achieve a truly integrated network to keep people moving and keep Britain trading.”

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. For more information about the organisation and its work, please get in touch - here.