FTA welcomes MPs’ road funding report
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chris.tindall@rbi.co.uk THE FREIGHT TRANSPORT Association (FTA) has welcomed a report by MPs calling for more funding and greater development of roads and ports in order to boost the economy.
The cross-party Transport Select Committee has also urged the government to publish a White Paper on its transport strategy, explaining how its transport spending will deliver economic growth and development. Committee chair Louise Ellman says improving connectivity through key international gateways, such as ports and airports, does not feature prominently enough in the government’s approach to the economy.
FTA head of road network management policy Malcolm Bingham says the creation of freight interchanges are essential for the UK’s supply chain and will provide this connectivity.
However, he adds that the Localism Bill, which gives local councils more say over planning decisions, threatens to stonewall these projects.
“If planning proposals on schemes like rail freight terminals and truckstops are only considered at a local level and not looked at objectively, then we are really missing a trick and harming the economy in the process,” he says.
“You can’t have a healthy economy without a healthy transport infrastructure, and at the moment there are parts of the network that are simply not designed with a growing economy in mind, especially in the north of England.”