The UK Department for Transport (DfT) will provide £10m (€11.21m) in funding to prepare 16 ports for the economic and industrial impacts of Brexit.
The Brexit funding for UK ports will be distributed through the DfT’s Port Infrastructure Resilience and Connectivity (PIRC) competition, which will provide each of the winning bidders with up to £1m in resilience funding. Port upgrades to be implemented under the programme include increased space for HGV parking and container storage; and improved access for vehicles, with the goal of streamlining transport across the UK-EU border for both freight and passengers. The programme falls under a £30m scheme by the UK government aimed at shoring up the resilience of the UK’s ports and harbours in anticipation of the UK’s exit from the EU; which itself is a part of a £2.1bn investment by the government in accelerating the preparations for Brexit by the UK’s industries.
In addition to the funding to be distributed under the PIRC, the DfT has allocated a further £5m in funding for the establishment and running of Local Resilience Forums: partnerships of local public services in areas with key ports, which will oversee the construction and maintenance of infrastructure improvements and measures designed to streamline the movement of traffic after Brexit.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Our world leading maritime ports are fundamental not only to our success as a global trading nation but also to people’s everyday lives, bringing vital goods into the country. This timely investment will support ports across the country in their work to boost capacity and efficiency, ensuring they’re ready for Brexit and a successful future.”
The winning ports which will receive funding through the Port Infrastructure Resilience and Connectivity competition are Bristol, Dover, Felixstowe, Harwich, Heysham, Hull, Immingham, Liverpool, London Gateway, Newhaven, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth International, Sheerness, Southampton and Teesport.
