Continued devolution in the UK will “drive nothing but cost and confusion” for the haulage industry, according to RHA chief executive Richard Burnett.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne (pictured, main), announced plans to devolve further powers to parts of the UK in his 2016 Budget announcement today, including the creation of elected mayors in East Anglia, the West of England and Greater Lincolnshire.
“North, South, East and West – the devolution revolution is taking hold,” Osborne said.
But speaking to Motortransport.co.uk ahead of the Budget, Burnett criticised the government’s devolution agenda, and said he could see “no clear benefit” of it to the industry.
“I think we need to be really, really careful with the whole process of devolution,” he said. “It can become very segmented and could drive nothing but cost and confusion about what we have to do and when we have to do it into the industry.”
Burnett added that the country already suffered from a “disjointed element” between the responsibilities of the strategic road network and local authorities, and that introducing more devolved authorities would only amplify this.
“It’s disjointed enough as it is at this point in time, so is it really going to make it any better? I’m not convinced,” he said.
