
Chancellor’s Announcements Welcome, But Concerns Remain Over Employment Costs and EU Relations
Commenting on the Chancellor’s growth speech Phil Pluck, CEO of the Cold Chain Federation, said:
“The Cold Chain is not just an industry; it’s the backbone of our economy. Contributing over £14 billion to our GDP annually, it underpins our food security, healthcare, and economic prosperity.
We support details here, but they are largely repetitions of what has already been said. The Chancellor stated that she will make it easier for companies to invest but fails to acknowledge that increases in employment costs already imposed have resulted in the exact opposite.
The cold chain sector is looking at over £620 million in extra employment costs and this is already having an impact on future recruitment decisions and investment plans.
I welcome the confirmation that the government intends to reset the relationship with the EU. In doing so, it must work closely with the cold chain to fully understand the impact on food and medicine supply and on food inflation. The EU is our most important trading partner and to find common ground on food and pharma safety, import/export standards and inspection guidelines is vital.
We welcome the announcement of progress on the proposed Lower Thames Crossing and that planning reforms may well accelerate its development. This is a vital development that will aid food and pharma transport across the whole country network.
Most of today’s announcements are welcome. But now is the time to turn them into actions.”
Comments are closed.