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PORTS
Responding to the announcement that the Government will
allocate £1.6bn in funding to communities to help drive job
creation and enterprise, the British Ports Association has
suggested that port regions should be targeted to develop
coastal economic clusters.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has
today announced details of a new £1.6bn Stronger Towns Fund to
‘boost growth’ in deprived regions after Brexit. It will be used to
create new jobs, help train local people and boost economic activity.
Commenting on the announcement the British Ports Association’s
Chief Executive, Richard Ballantyne said:
“Ports play a vital economic role both nationally and regionally.
They provide important hubs of activity, facilitating 95% of the
UK’s international trade and providing over 100,000 jobs. Often,
UK ports are situated in deprived coastal regions and any funding
which attempts to stimulate growth in those regions is welcome
and needed.
The clusters around ports are ideal locations to invest in for
sustained results as those areas typically have an established
trade gateway or maritime hub that can provide the basis for jobs
and development. We are continuing to push for port areas to be
granted the status of ‘Port Development and Enterprise Zones’ to
create new jobs and encourage infrastructure investment.
As well as business, planning and jobs stimulus, investment in
regional transport links can drive economic change. Ports rely on
good hinterland connections and communities can thrive with
better commuter and business links.”
The £1.6bn Fund will be allocated in two ways; £1bn has been
earmarked for direct allocation to English regions on a ‘needs based’
basis particularly in Northern England (see regional breakdown
below) and £600m will be made available for communities in any
part of the UK to bid for through a yet to be announced process.
Breakdown of the direct allocations:
■■North-west England: £281m
■■North-east England: £105m
■■Yorkshire and the Humber: £197m
■■West Midlands: £212m
■■East Midlands: £110m
■■South-west England: £33m
■■South-east England: £37m
■■East England: £25m
The Government has said communities would be able to draw up
job-boosting plans for their town, with the support and advice of
their Local Enterprise Partnerships.
Port regions should be prioritised in new
Stronger Towns Fund
The British Ports Association has welcomed
the Government’s new Sector Deal for
Offshore Wind which will offer significant
new opportunities for coastal regions
and ports. The Sector Deal is part of the
Government’s Industrial Strategy and
contains ambitious plans for 30% of UK
electricity to be generated by offshorewind
by 2030. This will see a huge growth in
offshore developments, much of which will
be facilitated by UK ports.
The Sector Deal will ensure that, over the next decade, there will
be a large expansion of offshore wind around the British coast and
this could see offshore wind contributing up to 30GWof generating
capacity. This could account for over £40bn of infrastructure
spending in the next decade, much of which will be in the UK. It will
create jobs for coastal regions all across the UK.
Welcoming the announcement the British Ports Association’s Chief
Executive Richard Ballantyne said:
“The offshore wind Sector Deal is great news for ports and coastal
communities. This will provide jobs in areas all round the coast
as ports provide a critical role in enabling offshore developments.
In 2017 wind generated just 6.2% of the UK power needs and we
welcome the ambitious new target of 30% by 2030. In particular,
we are pleased to see the long term commitment to increase UK
content to 60%. This target will require an increased domestic role
for developers and projects meaning that British ports will play a
significant role in new projects.
UK ports are well placed to support the offshore wind industry but
we will need a versatile and flexible planning system to help ports
prepare. This will be vital to ensure that ports remain agile and
responsive to the new opportunities to provide important landside
hubs for offshore developments.”
The Deal highlights sector estimates that offshore wind could
support 27,000 jobs across the UK by 2030, covering all aspects
of a wind farm; project management, construction and operations
and maintenance. With the industry committed to sourcing 60 per
cent of total lifetime content from UK sources and increasing UK
content in the capital expenditure phase, there will also be a need
for highly skilled workers in manufacturing areas throughout the
supply chain.
The Government suggests that delivering change on this scale
requires cooperation and coordination between industry,
government and educational institutions, specifically at a regional
level. Communities benefiting from this expansion will have the
knowledge and resources to deliver new, skilled recruits of the
future, capable of exporting these skills and experience to global
markets.
British Ports set to seize significant
OffshoreWind opportunities
Richard Ballantyne
TAILOR MADE
VEHICLE & TRAILER
SOLUTIONS
01543 420 121