UK manufactures of lower carbon construction vehicles

This House welcomes the Government’s decision to review the lower weight limits being imposed on greener volumetric mobile concrete plants (VCMs) as a first step to reversing regulations that are devastating a great British manufacturer, threatening 15,000 skilled jobs in 137 constituencies, contributing £380 million to the UK economy; further notes that VCMs operated legally at 38.4 tonnes and above for 50 years, producing concrete with zero waste and far fewer road miles than old fashioned drum mixers, saving annually an estimated 14 million lorry-miles to UK roads, 598,000 lorry journeys, 120,000 tonnes of CO2, preventing a 20% increase in CO2, nitrogen oxide and particulates, and extra carbon costs of £7 million; further notes the 2017 report commissioned by Highways England endorsed 44 tonnes as a safe weight for 5 axle VCMs and 38.5 tonnes for VCMs on four axles; also notes that unless the Review reverses the decision to abolish 44 tonne VCMs in 2028, the sole UK VCM manufacturer in Sheffield will cease trading; further notes Denmark raised the weight limit from 32 tonnes to 38 tonnes and in Italy and Scandinavia 44 tonne VCMs are road-legal; recognises the UK concrete market is dominated by foreign-owned conglomerates running rival drum mixers at 32 tonnes; notes that the Government abolished the unrealistic 32 tonne weight limit for all-electric HGVs; further notes the Labour Opposition commitment to reverse this weight cut; and calls on Ministers to permit VCMs to run at higher weights too.