The new government focused its campaign manifesto for the July General Election on promising change and the need for promoting economic growth. However, government statements have also frequently been concentrated on its perception of the state of the UK finances and the need for fiscal prudence.
Nevertheless, it is worth remembering this press statement of 29th July from Logistics UK.
“For too long, investment in improving the UK’s infrastructure has been overlooked, making it more challenging for goods to be delivered to their customers. Logistics underpins every sector of the economy and, as such, is ideally placed to help the new government get growth moving again…
“Our members appreciate that the books have to be balanced but ignoring the opportunities which logistics can create will hamper growth at a time when our sector stands ready to kick-start recovery across the economy.”
As proactive members of Logistics UK, Relay fully endorses this view based on decades of experience in our specialist area of collection, delivery and installation of high value electronic equipment to end users in industry, commerce and a range of other sectors including healthcare and education.
Like other companies in the logistics sector, we successfully played an active role in delivering vital necessities to customers during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and through subsequent geopolitical crises. In the UK, in spite of a deteriorating transport infrastructure, logistics companies were able to achieve these goals. Improvements to the infrastructure would however make our job a great deal easier!
Building Resilience
The recent report by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) stated that: “Investing now in the resilience of infrastructure services is critical. A changing climate will lead to new threats – extreme heat buckling rails, drought related subsidence bursting pipes, and increased flood risk… It is much more efficient to build in resilience from the outset than to rely on costly retrofits.”
Responding to the publication of the NIC report in a media release on the 20th September, Logistics UK commented: “Building resilience into every area of the UK’s infrastructure is vital if the country’s highly interconnected supply chain is to be protected. Logistics UK’s members, which deliver everything consumers and businesses need, every day, welcome the recommendations of the National Infrastructure Commission’s report which should minimise disruptions and ensure that goods can reach their end destination.
“It is critical that government identifies those areas which could be vulnerable to breakdown, particularly as the threat of climate change is placing increased pressure on our infrastructure, and identifies priority routes across the UK and further afield, to protect the UK’s supply chain.”
Relay fully supports the view that improvements in the UK transport infrastructure should be a top priority. It will be an essential factor in kick-starting the country’s economic recovery and achieving higher levels of growth.