On Tuesday 17 January, the evening of the NFDA Executive Meeting, NFDA brought together franchised dealer members, MPs, and Lords to the House of Lords to discuss the significance of the automotive retail sector, in addition to some of the pertinent issues the sector is facing.
In a significant win for the roadside rescue and recovery industry, Roads Minister Michael Ellis MP today announced that the Department for Transport would be reviewing the evidence base for the benefits of recovery operators being permitted to use red flashing warning beacons, instead of the amber warning beacons current legislation allows. The announcement occurred during a Westminster Hall debate led by Tracey Crouch MP.
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.
The recovery industry has joined together to form the Professional Recovery Operators Federation (PROF), which was launched at an event in the Houses of Parliament on 12 February. PROF focusses on representing the interests of professional recovery operators in Westminster.
There are now an estimated twelve to fifteen thousand hand car washes in the UK. The Car Wash Association states that more than ninety per cent are unregulated. “It is extraordinary that we are virtually the only EU country where illegal hand car washing has proliferated over the last ten years to the extent seen across the UK. This must result from the failure of key agencies to enforce their own regulations”, said Car Wash Association chairman, Brian Madderson, giving evidence in Parliament recently.
Three different MPs visited NFDA dealer members on Friday 25 May 2018 as the NFDA Parliamentary Engagement Programme continues to raise awareness of the retail side of the automotive industry.
Continental Tyres has been selected to share its expertise in the Government’s Parliamentary Review 2016/17. The Parliamentary Review launched officially at the House of Commons On Tuesday 19 September. The contribution from Continental appears alongside a foreword by the Prime Minister and other senior parliamentarians.
Looking back on the year of UK industry and Westminster, the Review showcases best practice to act as guidance to the public and private sectors. In the document, Continental highlights its global initiative, Vision Zero, a commitment to reduce road accidents, injuries and fatalities through improved driver education, automotive systems and premium tyres.
The Tyre Recovery Association has been accepted into membership of the Parliamentary All-Party Sustainable Resource Group (ASPRG), a cross-party group whose main purpose is to help parliamentarians fully engage with waste and sustainable resource policy issues.
“The key contribution of the retail motor sector to the UK economy was the theme of the dinner held yesterday at the House of Commons. With over 500,000 people employed in the sector and a combined turnover of 61.3bn across the top 200 franchised dealers, it is vital that UK retail motor industry is recognised by the Government alongside manufacturers in the post Brexit negotiations,” said Sue Robinson, Director of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), which represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers across the UK.
The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has begun to investigate future uses of driverless vehicles in the UK. The inquiry will collect evidence on the potential uses and benefits of autonomous vehicles in contexts such as road transport, farming and space exploration.
TRA members will lobby their constituency members of parliament in their effort to fight off Environment Agency plans to bring in new storage limits which they say could put many responsible recyclers out of business. The association believes that the proposed new norms which it is claimed will lead to a reduction in waste fires will hit the tyre industry disproportionately.
Councils across the country have won nearly £21 million of funding from the government to promote green forms of transport, it was announced recently. The funding is being given out for 23 sustainable travel initiatives across England that boost local economies by supporting people’s ambitions – offering cheap, clean and healthy travel options to access […]
New analysis from Direct Line Car Insurance and PACTS (an All-Party Parliamentary Group) reveals pedestrian casualties on Britain’s roads peak in November each year. Reviewing the available monthly road casualty data, from 2010-2014, the average number of reported serious pedestrian casualties rises from a low of 397 in August to a peak of 565 in November, an increase of 42 per cent. Furthermore, pedestrians account for more than a quarter (26 per cent) of serious injuries each November.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has declared the first ever National Lorry Week (26-31 October) to be an outstanding success and has confirmed that plans are already underway for an even bigger scale event in 2016. RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “We launched National Lorry Week with the #LoveTheLorry strap line to do two things: First, to raise the profile of our magnificent industry in the eyes of the public and the popular media and second, to hammer home to government the very real challenges that we face, with particular emphasis on the critical driver shortage.”
New research commissioned by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) reveals that nearly one in five MPs believe all technicians in their local garage are qualified to work on today’s vehicles. But, according to the IMI, the reality is quite different, with no mandatory requirement for vehicle technicians to be qualified – or to ensure qualifications are kept up to date and in line with new vehicle technology. With separate IMI research revealing that 53 per cent of drivers planning to buy or lease a new car in the next two years are considering an electric or hybrid vehicle, the IMI is urging government to tackle this issue in the interests of public safety – and to help rebuild motorists’ trust in the sector.
NFDA