A cross-party group of MPs and Peers will today publish a report calling on the government to support UK automotive to ensure the industry achieves its potential as a significant driver of growth.
The report, Driving growth: Future challenges and opportunities for UK automotive, is based on the discussions of the All-Party Parliamentary Motor Group (APMG) with parliamentarians, ministers, officials, industry representatives and trade unions over the last year.
The report looks at the challenges and opportunities facing the UK automotive industry including investment, low-carbon technology, skills and growth. The APMG makes four key recommendations to the government:
1. Government should ensure the UK is an attractive place to do business and invest by showcasing the automotive industry as a forward-looking, growing and progressive sector.
2. Government should look at both the economic and environmental opportunities in supporting the sector’s development of low-carbon technologies.
3. Government should outline how it plans to work with schools and colleges to make jobs in the sector more appealing and publish an action plan to demonstrate how it intends to work with automotive companies in delivering 75,000 additional apprenticeship places.
4. Government should strengthen its partnership with the motor industry to help re-balance the economy and ensure the industry achieves its potential as a significant driver of growth.
The report will be formally launched at the group’s AGM in the House of Commons at 3PM today and has been submitted to government ministers, shadow ministers and the chairmen of the Business, Science and Treasury Select Committees.
Richard Burden MP, Chair of the APMG, said:
‘Across the UK the automotive industry is an essential part of the glue that binds our economy together. The industry produces over one million cars every year and supports over 700,000 jobs.
‘The last year has been a critical time for the motor industry. As the economy emerges from recession, the industry has been put at the heart of the debate on re-balancing the economy and sustainable low-carbon growth.
‘The UK automotive industry faces many challenges in the coming years – but also has many growth opportunities. We must support it to ensure it achieves its potential as a significant driver of growth.’
