A lack of drivers working in the logistics and supply chain sector must be addressed if the UK’s economy is to flourish.
That was one of the main issues raised by businesses attending the logistics event on 16th October 2014, and the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) has pledged to take this directly to government.
Cllr Mary Clarke, chair of SEMLEP Logistics and Supply Chain Group and leader of South Northants Council, said: “The UK PLC just won’t work if we can’t get freight moving around and businesses from across the South East Midlands have told us today that it is critical we recruit, skill and retain drivers. We will work with our logistics and skills partners and take this to government.”
Businesses gathered at Northamptonshire’s Towcester Racecourse for the logistics event and discussed challenges and potential solutions for the sector. Keynote speeches were made by Steve Agg, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation, who spoke about the challenges facing the industry, based on the views of his members.
Rob Riddleston, head of transport and logistics at Barclays, then spoke about the results of the bank’s recent report on the Last Mile delivery and confidence within the logistics sector.
Delegates were then divided into two break-out groups, with one discussing the challenges faced by large logistics businesses such as Prologis and StarTech.com and the second focusing on the challenge of smaller businesses, such as Action Express. Representatives from Highways Agency, Network Rail and Skills for Logistics helped conclude the event, joining the panel of experts.
The next SEMLEP logistics event will be held in Spring 2015.
