Suffolk Chamber statement on DFT Ministerial Statement

“Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, our members and the county’s wider business community, especially those in our crucial ports, logistics and haulage sector are feeling extremely perplexed by Heidi Alexander’s announcement today. Her claim that this is a once in a generation opportunity to get Britian moving seems inexplicably to exclude moving significant volumes of container traffic off our hard-pressed and failing strategic road system and onto the rail network!

“The fact that the Secretary of State for Transport made no reference at all of the Ely/Haughley rail junction improvements, plus the cancellation of strategic road projects in Essex and Cambridgeshire, makes the transport outcomes of the Spending Review feel like a funding punishment beating for the East of England.

“In spite of a return of £5 for every £1 invested, extensive business support across not only the East but in the Midlands and the North as well, and the active backing of our county’s MPs and indeed those from across our region, it is unclear whether Ely/Haughley will be advanced in any capacity whatsoever over the next couple of years. Given that the outline business case for the projects was released in 2022, this risks even this preparatory work becoming obsolete.

“Suffolk Chamber, working with our very many campaigning partners, will now be looking to the Government’s Infrastructure Pipeline, due to be released later this month, which will set out its longer term aims beyond the current Spending Review period.

“But, in summary, we feel that the Government has made a significant strategic blunder in ignoring Ely/Haughley.”