In a Logistics UK press statement in November 2024 that I featured in my LinkedIn post last month, our industry sector organisation’s Chief Executive David Wells OBE stated that “congestion and delays, friction at our borders, and a lack of public investment over time is making UK logistics less efficient. The World Bank Logistics Productivity Index shows that the UK has slipped from 4th in the world to 19th in the last 10 years.”
This emphasised the fact that, for logistics to prosper effectively, the transport and trading environment needs to be as beneficial as possible to smooth and efficient operations, both nationally and globally. The sector has proved itself to be remarkably resilient in the face of multiple disruptions in the past, meeting challenges ranging from dramatic international geopolitical events to a major global pandemic. Nevertheless, as David Wells indicated, infrastructure support for the sector is urgently needed.
A range of priorities
In January, the Government issued a press release titled “Planning proposals to unblock vital infrastructure and drive nature’s recovery.”
This communication states that: “Measures to unblock much-needed infrastructure projects whilst supporting nature recovery at scale will be included in proposals for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill this year, the Government has announced today as part its Plan for Change (22 January 2025).
“These common-sense changes will help to deliver on the Government’s commitment to make 150 major infrastructure project decisions by the end of this Parliament, while also helping to halt and reverse the decline of species and natural habitats. The reforms will help to speed up projects, including new wind farms, railways and roads, gigafactories and data centres across the country.”
Meeting multiple challenges
A range of opinions has recently been posted on requirements affecting differing sections of the transport and logistics sector.
From New Civil Engineer 22nd January: “The freight sector has called on the UK government to supercharge the growth of rail freight as part of its wider Plan for Change, which aims to stimulate economic growth, achieve net zero emissions and facilitate housebuilding.”
On 20th January, Naylor Drainage commented on issues relating to the state of roads in the UK environment: “Excluding repairs and other works on existing road networks, National Highways (formerly The Highways Agency) has set aside £347 million for over 30 potential new road schemes during the period 2025 to 2030 alone… “
But the post also highlights the administrative issues relating to the UK’s road infrastructure:
“National Highways only covers England, and only motorways and major A-roads, what the Government refers to as the ‘Strategic Road Network’ or SRN. Incredibly, this accounts for just 3% of Britain’s road network. The rest of the UK’s road network is managed by local authorities, which look after local roads; Transport Scotland and the Welsh Government which manage roads in Scotland and Wales respectively, and Transport for London which looks after roads in our capital city.”
And finally, from The Geography of Transport Systems on logistics in urban areas: “The growth of the amount of freight circulating within urban areas has exacerbated congestion as goods movements, like passengers, contribute to congestion. Urban freight distribution commonly accounts for the last mile in contemporary supply chains, but this takes place in a setting where many constraints are exacerbated. The propensity of large urban areas to have high congestion levels challenges a key issue in logistics, which is the reliability of distribution. This is particularly the case for the disruptions and lower driving speeds that urban congestion imposes, making urban freight distribution prone to inefficiencies.”
Improvements required
The UK’s transport infrastructure plays a vital role in economic growth, regional connectivity, and everyday mobility. However, aging road networks, congested railways, and outdated public transport systems are increasingly unable to meet the demands of our growing population. Investment in infrastructure improvements, such as upgrading road networks, is essential to boost economic productivity.
As a leading transport and logistics company, Relay is fully committed to ensure that our operations meet the highest service levels for our customers while having minimal adverse effects on the environment. We have followed this policy through the acquisition of high performance low emission vehicles for our fleet and efficient journey management aided by advanced track and trace technology.
While the condition of the UK’s road network requires improvements, we have the capabilities to navigate it effectively and ensure that our valuable customer assets reach their destinations on schedule.