Fleet sector crucial to Govt’s “mission to fix the economy,” says Minister for Future of Roads

Speaking at the BVRLA Fleets in Charge Conference today, Minister for the Future of Roads Lilian Greenwood MP (pictured) confirmed that “transport is the engine of the economy,” and that the fleet sector is central to the Government’s plans for recovery.

She said: “The Government is on a mission to fix the economy [and] the fleet sector plays a crucial role in getting us there – transport is the engine of the economy.”

Key to this is the decarbonisation and electrification of fleets across both cars and vans.

Greenwood said: “Decarbonisation not only meets our climate commitments […] it secures the long term sustainable growth this country needs.” 

To this end, she said Government plans to work with, not against the industry, and pointed to recent commitments, such as those in the Spending Review, and the flexibility offered in the van sector to address the additional barriers there.

Nevertheless, she pointed to concerns such as the impact of geopolitical shifts, uncertainty in the automotive sector, volatility in the zero emission market, and a lack of clarity on the direction of travel.

In addition, she acknowledged one of the biggest barriers to EV uptake: the ability of fleets to count on having access to reliable charging points.

Greenwood said: “We’ve heard you, and we’re wasting no time in responding.”