Kent County Council calls for a cut of lorry charges

13th Feb 2012

Members of Kent County Council (KCC) are pressing the government to give them a cut of the £10-a-day charge for foreign lorry drivers.

The authority believes it has a "robust case" to receive a portion of the fee as it believes that it handles 87 per cent of the total foreign freight services that arrive from the Port of Dover.

If approved, the KCC estimates that it will increase its revenue to £23 million by 2015/16 and will help pay for maintenance to roads in the region. Councillor Mike Penning believes that foreign lorries impose increased responsibilities for local businesses, residents and infrastructure.

Bryan Sweetland, cabinet member for environment, highways and waste, said: "To compound the situation, foreign trucks fill up with diesel bought outside the UK, where fuel duty is far lower, so not only do they avoid contributing to the UK economy at the pumps, they also put UK hauliers at a massive commercial disadvantage."

Increasing petrol prices has lead to Irish haulage workers to strike against the government's decision not to introduce a levy for cheaper rates for lorry drivers.

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