FLEETS must make their political presence felt at the heart of Government as rival political parties roll out strategies for the next general election. Transport will be one of the central battlegrounds in future elections and fleets are being urged to demand parties from all sides take fleets needs into account.

Already the sensitivity of the country's economy to high fuel taxes has been shown by blockades of fuel refineries in the past week, while new car pricing has dominated the headlines for a year.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, the two main contenders for Labour's hold on power, have focused on transport in their new draft manifestos. And in a bid to keep the party's ear to the ground, Conservative Shadow Transport Minister Bernard Jenkin is calling for fleet managers to speak out about their needs.

The Conservative Party, in its 'Believing in Britain' pre-election manifesto promises to make Britain 'the best place to do business' and vows to champion lower taxes. The Conservatives promised to promote technology, not taxation, as the best way to get Britain moving, in an indication that it would halt plans for congestion charging in the UK's towns and cities.

However, the party has come under fire for being short on crucial details about their exact taxation plans, such as their position on CO2-based company car tax.

By contrast, the Liberal Democrats declared that congestion charging and workplace parking charges were crucial to its vision of a greener Britain. In their pre-election manifesto, called 'Freedom in a Liberal Society', the Liberal Democrats focused on the environment and declared they would use congestion charging and workplace parking charges to cut traffic levels, combined with increased investment in public transport.