A group of leading business people from the ports and logistics industry, based in Suffolk and North Essex, met with local authority officers and councillors yesterday to discuss the future growth of the sector and to undertake an assessment of the infrastructure and employment land needed to ensure   the sector is adequately supported.

The two-hour closed debate, organised and chaired by the Haven Gateway Partnership, highlighted some of the current issues for local ports and logistics businesses, including: the need for high quality lorry-parking; improvements to the road and rail network; creation and access to distribution centres within reach of the Haven ports; an ageing local industry workforce; all against the backdrop of increasing potential competition from other UK & European developments. 

Stephen Bracewell - Vice Chairman of the Haven Gateway Partnership, who chaired the debate, said: “Today’s discussion highlighted the need for continued joint working between Local Authority officers, councillors and business – to find compromises and more importantly solutions to port related business issues.  As the Haven Ports grow, so too must the infrastructure and support for the 30,000 people and 2,400 businesses who already work in the industry locally.”

A large part of the debate centred on the group’s concern that if infrastructure to support port expansion was slow or  withheld/restricted  in the Haven Gateway, this could have a negative effect on  the Haven Ports’ current competitive advantage.

A research report, presented at the meeting, explored five key areas in the ports and logistics sector: capacity, competition, infrastructure/employment, planning and employment/skills.  The report, commissioned by the Haven Gateway Partnership provides much needed evidence to illustrate how important the current and future expansion work at the Haven Ports is and the significant economic contribution it already makes.  The report confirmed that across the Haven Gateway sub-region:

* Felixstowe handles 38% of all container cargo in the UK, over twice as much as its nearest competitor
* Harwich International Port has 10% of the UK cruise market
* The revenue generated by cruise passengers through Harwich generates approx £18m pa
* 12% of all those employed, work in the ports and logistics sector
* The average ports and logistics annual wage is £29,000 - £4k higher than the sub-regional average
* 1,250 new and replacement ports and logistics jobs are required each year
The results from the event will contribute to an action plan to support the sector which will be presented to the Haven Gateway Partnership Board in the Autumn.