CILT recently received a letter from George Freeman MP, Minister of State for the Future of Transport, inviting Institute representatives to offer their views on the future of the UK freight sector.
The freight sector is the backbone of the UK economy, supporting over 2.5 million jobs and contributing £124 billion to the economy. Looking ahead, the weight of goods transported by freight is expected to increase by 50% at the same time as technological innovation promises to unlock even more productivity and growth.
Mr Freeman, along with Baroness Vere, will, in due course, organise a series of Future of UK Freight Strategy Roundtable meetings. These will allow CILT and its membership to advice government on specific topics and challenges in relation to the Department for Transport’s Future of UK Freight Strategy initiative.
In a letter to Kevin Richardson FCILT, Chief Executive, CILT(UK), Mr Freeman said: “In forming the new Government this summer, the Prime Minister created a new Minister for the Future of Transport to drive UK and Department for Transport leadership in transport innovation.
“Since taking up my role in August I have been energised by the sheer amount of innovation taking place with UK transport and how it is helping to improve everyday lives and strengthen our economy. I see freight as a vital component of this portfolio and ensuring the future success of the industry is an important goal in the Government’s Future of Mobility Grand Challenge.
“I’m committed to helping this vital sector prepare for emerging and long-running challenges of congestion, skills shortages, changing business models and the shift to zero emission transport. I am eager to take a strategic, cross-cutting approach to all these matters, and my Department is now looking carefully at a Future of UK Freight Strategy to support the sector to continue to be a world leader in efficiency, innovation and resilience through to 2050 and beyond.
“I’m keen to ensure that we have the sector’s input from as early in the process as is possible and that the process of developing an action plan for the freight sector builds on excellent preliminary discussions we’ve had with sector representatives to date, and helps forge stronger relationships between the freight industry, Government and other stakeholders.”