Over one hundred freight operators forming the Sustainable Urban Freight Association (SUFA) have launched a local elections manifesto.
It calls on council and mayoral candidates to take practical action to support cleaner and more efficient urban freight and deliveries.
The manifesto – backed by firms like DPD, DHL, Ocado as well as local operators – comes ahead of local government elections on Thursday 7 May, which will see 5,000 council seats contested across England alongside six directly elected mayors.
Demand for deliveries and collections is rising, and so is the pressure on local roads. Van traffic across the UK reached 58.5 billion vehicle miles in 2024, a jump of nearly 10 per cent this decade. Many of the decisions that affect how this traffic is managed – including loading space, planning policy and logistics sites – are controlled by local authorities.
The document, Getting Sustainable Urban Freight Right, urges local authorities and combined authorities to adopt three commitments:
- Introduce a Freight Policy and Kerbside Plan
- Commit a three-year sustainable urban freight budget
- Protect space for microhub networks that support low-emission last-mile deliveries
SUFA Co-Chair Kirsten Smith from waste management and recycling firm Recorra said:
“In the weeks before the election, alongside their home deliveries, people will have politicians from all parties knocking on their doors looking for their votes.
“Voters want the convenience of deliveries, but they also want cleaner air and less congestion. Local government has a key role in making sure towns and cities can have both.
“If adopted by councils and mayors, our proposals would help reduce congestion and emissions while supporting local businesses and improving the efficiency of deliveries and collections in towns and cities.”
Chris Hammond, CEO of the local leaders group UK100 said:
“The movement of goods is the lifeblood of local economies. Which is why we’re pleased to represent ambitious cross-party local leaders at the SUFA manifesto launch today.
“We know that good business working hand-in-hand with communities and their elected leaders is at the heart of thriving local places. Which is why we’re pleased to support this work, and hope that alongside initiatives like our new clean air network, it will create the solutions our cities, towns and villages need to reduce emissions.”
Image from report courtesy of SUFA
