[ad_1]
Image copyright
fake images
Members of the logistics industry warn of “significant gaps” in the UK’s border plans for the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.
Eight groups warned ministers that if problems are not addressed, the supply chain “will be severely disrupted.”
The government said it had plans to ensure “we are prepared for the changes.”
Meanwhile, the government has been given powers to build temporary truck parks in parts of England, without the need for local approval.
In a letter to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove obtained by the Financial Times, all eight logistics organizations, including the Road Haulage Association, expressed concern about IT systems, funding for training agents for customs and the pace of construction of physical infrastructure.
They called for an “urgent roundtable meeting” with Mr. Gove, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Transportation Secretary Grant Shapps.
The letter urged ministers to take the concerns “seriously” and “listen to the details”, or face supply chain problems after the transition period ends on December 31.
He added that the coronavirus pandemic had demonstrated “the importance of a free-flowing supply chain”, and that the supply chain must be protected before a possible second wave of the UK epidemic.
A spokesman for the Cabinet Office said it had “worked closely with the industry” in developing its Border Operating Model and that it “will continue to do so as we move towards the end of the transition period.”
He referenced a previous announcement of £ 50 million in additional funding to support new customs infrastructure, for IT systems and to recruit and train new customs brokers and freight forwarders.
The United Kingdom left the European Union on January 31, but remains a transition period until December 31 while the two sides negotiate a trade deal.
During this time, the UK continues to follow some of the bloc’s rules.
If parliaments do not reach an agreement and do not ratify it before the end of the year, the United Kingdom will enter 2021 negotiating with the bloc under the rules of the World Trade Organization, which critics fear could hurt the economy.
EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said this week that he was “concerned and disappointed” by the lack of concessions from his British counterpart David Frost after a meeting on a trade deal.
Number 10 said it was “clear” that a deal “will not be easy to achieve.”
Law change for truck parks
The logistics industry charter came as the government gave itself powers to grant emergency planning permits to build temporary truck parks and inspection posts in 29 municipal areas in England, without the need for local approval.
- Giant truck park branded ‘concrete monstrosity’
- Post-Brexit truck park trial is ‘too late’
The government said the truck parks, which can remain in place until the end of 2025, would contribute to “an orderly transition to the new system of checks to secure the border” and help address the impact that the coronavirus may have had on the port operators. ‘ability to provide the necessary infrastructure themselves, in time for the end of the transition period.
Areas affected by the law change, brought about through a legal instrument, include Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Devon, East Sussex.
