Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said, “Today’s budget provides some encouragement to an automotive sector hit hard by the pandemic and additional trading costs but it falls short of the support needed to transform the industry and market to the net zero future to which both the government and industry aspires. Confirmation that the industry’s calls for the furlough scheme to be extended until the end of September have been heeded and is extremely welcome as both the automotive manufacturing and retail sectors have suffered a massive fall in demand over the past year with showrooms still closed and supply chains disrupted.
Measures to support investment and upskilling are of vital importance to the sector but more is needed if the government’s green recovery plan is to be a success. Ensuring the UK has the most competitive environment globally for business investment is essential so, whilst we welcome in principle the announcement of a ‘super deduction’ for investment, it is not clear if it will work for manufacturing and plant and machinery so we now seek the fine detail and, ultimately, business rates reform to encourage investment.
Anything that encourages the recruitment of apprentices would have our full support and it is encouraging to see the accompanying “Build back Better: Our Plan for Growth” commits to upskilling and the need to address some of the weaknesses of the Apprenticeship Levy which does not work for many employers.
In this crucial year, with COP 26 in the autumn and the sector facing a mammoth task in decarbonizing within just nine years, we had hoped to see more measures to support the transition. This is an opportunity lost, so we look ahead to this year’s Comprehensive Spending Review for the commitment to the infrastructure, incentives and wider competitiveness measures that will enable the UK automotive industry to be the global leaders in the shift to net zero mobility.”
