The newly elected Labour government has yet to respond to industry calls for the appointment of a minister for logistics with just two DfT appointments confirmed so far.
Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh (pictured) has been appointed transport secretary, while Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill is taking on on the role of DfT minister of state.
Meanwhile Jonathan Reynolds has been appointed the new secretary of state at the Department of Business and Industrial Strategy.
Haigh was first elected in 2015 and has held numerous shadow cabinet posts, including shadow Nothern Ireland secretary. She has also held shadow ministerial positions for the Home Office, Cabinet Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
While Haigh has yet to set out her plans as transport secretary, during the run up to the general election she made clear a Labour administration would be keen to tackle the scourge of potholes and promised plans to provide local authorities with multi-year funding settlements so that they can budget over a longer period.
She also said that DfT will publish a long-term strategy on roads under the new Labour government, aligned with central government’s 10-year infrastructure plan.
RHA welcomed her appointment this week. Richard Smith, RHA managing director, said: “We would like to congratulate Louise Haigh MP on her appointment as Secretary of State for Transport in the new government.
“We look forward to continuing our good working relationship with her team in the months and years ahead to support our vital industry and to help deliver economic growth.
“Ninety percent of freight is moved by road so it’s vital the Government delivers an infrastructure programme which ensures our sector can move people and goods efficiently and effectively.”
Peter Hendy, also known as Baron Hendy of Richmond Hill is expected to have a lazer focus on rail and the challenges of urban transport, being the current chairman of Network Rail and a former Commissioner of Transport for London.
A DfT said more ministerial appointments will be announced shortly.
Jonathan Reynolds, the new Secretary of State for Business and Industrial Strategy, has already set out plans in Labour’s Automotive Strategy - published ahead of the general election - to bring in radical changes to the Apprenticeship Levy.
The existing levy will be replaced with a Growth and Skills Levy, with the aim of giving businesses greater flexibility to access a wider range of training courses.
Firms will be able to spend their levy funds to deliver apprenticeship programmes while also accessing modular training to give staff with the skills they will need for the future.
Colleges will also get funding to specialise in the technical skills needed for the future, including for electric vehicle transition. Labour will also establish Skills England, a new body collaborating with central and local government, businesses, training providers and unions to meet the skills needs of the next decade across all regions.
The report also promises that Labour will accelerate the electric vehicle charge point roll-out by setting new binding targets and remove the barriers to grid expansion to facilitate a major upgrade to Britain’s national transmission infrastructure, allowing businesses to install their own charging infrastructure for their fleets more quickly.
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