Tag: government
SMMT to Parliament: Use Brexit extension purposefully
Like a schoolgirl who left an important project to the last minute and then begged teacher for more time, Teresa May has returned from Brussels with a further extension to Brexit. Now we might need to wait until 31 October to discover how the future relationship between the UK and EU will look. The head of the body representing the UK automotive industry considers this waiting and further waiting untenable.
Expert questions tyre role in marine pollution claims
Professor Richard Thompson OBE, who leads the International Marine Research Unit at the University of Plymouth, has questioned claims made by the Marine Conservation Society relating the role played by tyre wear in marine microplastic pollution.
VRA adds its support to BVRLA’s new WLTP consultation campaign
The Vehicle Remarketing Association has added its support to the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association’s response to the current Government’s Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) consultation. Sam Watkins, chair at the VRA, said that her organisation shared the BVRLA’s concern about how the potential, negative impact on the company car sector could have widespread repercussions.
CBI comments on Transport for the North blueprint for 2050
The CBI commented on Transport for the North’s (TfN) proposals for £70 billion worth of investment in northern infrastructure by 2050.
Government approves Leeds clean air zone proposals
Businesses have been urged to start planning for the introduction of the Leeds clean air zone (CAZ) after the Government approved the city council’s proposals. The CAZ, which will come into effect on January 6, 2020, will encompass the majority of the city and non-Euro VI HGVs, buses and coaches will face a £50 daily charge for driving in the zone, while non-Euro 6 diesel and non-Euro 4 petrol taxis and private hire vehicles will incur a £12.50 charge. Private vehicles will not be charged.
DfT ‘intends’ to retain EU tyre labelling regulation post-Brexit
The Tyre Industry Federation (TIF) has announced that it understands the Department for Transport (DfT) intends to retain alignment with future evolutions of the EU tyre labelling regulations in the UK, at least as far as the label itself is concerned. The rationale is to ensure a smoothly working market for tyres, the TIF adds.
Michelin Dundee closure: Scotland’s Economy Secretary convening action group
Scotland’s Finance and Economy Secretary, Derek Mackay, held urgent talks yesterday with trade unions and the management of Michelin Tyre Company Ltd. to discuss the future of the Dundee car tyre plant, following confirmation of Michelin’s intention to close the plant by 2020.
Chancellor delivers pothole budget
While many have been talking about chancellor of the exchequer the right honourable Phillip Hammond MP’s decision to increase the personal allowance threshold from £11,850 to £12,500 in April 2019, for those of us connected to the automotive and transport industries this year speech is probably best described as a pothole budget. True Hammond has raised personal allowance threshold and has raised the point at which people start paying higher rate tax (40 per cent) to £50,000, but the automotive industry was hoping for much more clarity and even support the wake of a Brexit-fuelled, uncertainty ridden market context.
PRA, CWA urge crackdown on tax evasion in the hidden economy
In their joint budget submission, the PRA and CWA have highlighted concerns that the hand car wash sector should be paying up to £1.45 billion per year in tax, and this is not being collected by HMRC.
Microplastics: Government to tackle tyre pollution
Tyres aren’t part of the food chain and they certainly don’t belong in our air and water. Even the powers that be realise this and the government says it will work to combat the problem. The how and with whom of this was outlined in the draft Clean Air Strategy 2018 document released by Environment Secretary Michael Gove on 22 May.
Companies urged to prepare now for a low emission future or risk losing business
Van and truck operators could lose out to more forward-thinking competitors if they don’t start investigating the potential for ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) on their fleets, Government officials have warned.
Chancellor’s tax relief for cleanest vans requires further detail – KPMG
The chancellor of the exchequer, Phillip Hammond, has announced a reduction in tax for the cleanest vans in his Spring Statement. Introducing the measure, he said the government wanted to “help the great British white van driver go green.” Analyst KPMG responded that more detail is needed to allow vehicle manufacturers to develop products to take advantage of the tax reduction.
PRA calls for investment in charging infrastructure
The Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) is calling for government to offer grants to retailers for investment into charging infrastructure, following news that the Automated and Electric Vehicles (A&EV) Bill has passed its third reading in the House of Commons.
Backlash against diesels sees new car CO2 emissions rise
An anti-diesel agenda has resulted in new car carbon dioxide emissions rising for the first time in 14 years as people make the switch to petrol, recent research suggests. Department for Transport figures show that the average new car sold in 2017 produces more CO2 than one sold in 2016, reversing a continuous decline in emissions of the greenhouse gas since the figures were first published by the Government in 2003.
£80 million funding for national battery facility
A partnership between WMG, at the University of Warwick, Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership, and Coventry City Council has been awarded £80 million to establish a new National Battery Manufacturing Development Facility (NBMDF). The announcement was made by The Rt Hon Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, while attending an energy conference on the University of Warwick campus on Wednesday 29 November 2017.