Opinion

Logistics UK outlines strategic role for the sector in the Government’s growth mission

Following the appointment of Heidi Alexander MP as Secretary of State for Transport, Logistics UK Chief Executive, David Wells OBE has written formally to her, welcoming her into her new role and seeking a meeting at the earliest opportunity.

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Government misses opportunity to help the logistics sector

The trade association, one of the UK’s biggest business groups and the only organisation representing all of logistics, is keen to start working with the new Transport Secretary and outline the huge opportunity she has to drive the Government’s growth mission by prioritising logistics and acknowledging its foundational role in the economy.

 David Wells OBE says: “Firstly, I would like to congratulate Heidi Alexander on her appointment as the new Secretary of State for Transport and we, along with our member businesses, look forward to working together over the coming months to implement a strategy for using logistics as the catalyst to start driving growth throughout the economy. 

There is a huge opportunity for her and her department to address the decline in logistics productivity, drive growth and secure the sector’s place in the forthcoming Industrial Strategy, including the development of a genuinely integrated transport strategy that facilitates the efficient movement of freight, while meeting the needs of the travelling public.

Foundational sector

“Logistics is one of the UK’s foundational sectors and without it, the rest of the economy will grind to a halt. Nothing moves without logistics: the whole country relies on the millions of individuals and thousands of businesses working in logistic roles to supply our hospitals, schools, factories and shops with everything they need, everywhere, every day.

 “The sector contributes £185 billion to the economy every year and employs 8% of the UK workforce, yet the performance of logistics in the UK is getting less efficient as a result of extensive congestion and delays across the transport network, friction at our borders and a lack of public investment in the infrastructure our members need to operate effectively. The World Bank Logistics Productivity Index shows that the UK has slipped from 4th in the world to 19th in the last 10 years and the Secretary of State for Transport has a huge opportunity to reverse this decline and drive Labour’s growth mission.

Image credit: Logistics UK