The future Mayor of London should work more closely with the logistics sector to make London cleaner, safer and more efficient, says the FTA.

Ahead of the 2020 London Mayoral Election, the organisation decided to launch Logistics for London, a document which details its push for an increase in efficiency for London.

The next Mayor of London has been urged to support its call for cohesive policies to minimise emissions, improve road safety, and manage road congestion via high-quality infrastructure and better traffic management, so that the industry can efficiently serve London’s growing population.

Denise Beedell, policy manager for Vans and Urban at FTA, said: “Logistics is at the heart of the everyday functioning of London and we call on the next Mayor of London to work closely with the logistics industry to make the capital a better place to live, work and visit.

“Logistics can, and must, be part of the solution to meet emissions reduction targets, improve road safety and boost supply chain efficiency.

“Our industry keeps London supplied with goods and services, clears the waste, supports jobs and the keeps the capital going, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

FTA is also calling for support for reform of the London Lorry Control Scheme (LLCS) and increased enforcement against serially non-compliant HGV operators.

Ms Beedell continues: “Businesses, residents and visitors to London all depend on reliable and efficient logistics to provide the food, clothes, documents, medicines and construction materials the city needs to operate.

“With many new freight-based initiatives in the pipeline, such as the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone and the Direct Vision Standard, there is an urgent need to create a vision for enabling efficient logistics and to develop a world-class freight and logistics environment in the capital.

“A strong, interconnected supply chain is vital for a city as diverse and complicated as London, and with the city growing at such a rapid rate, a Freight Commissioner would provide important oversight for the whole process, to the benefit of all residents, businesses and consumers affected by the movement of goods and services.”

With Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics is at the heart of UK discussions, with organisations like FTA issuing these call-to-actions.

Logistics for London can be viewed online here.