Associated British Ports (ABP) has collaborated with regional businesses and authorities to launch a bid for the Port of Hull lot be given Freeport status.
In a statement, ABP said the two Local Enterprise Partnerships of Greater Lincolnshire and the Humber, along with the four local authorities of Hull, East Riding, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire have formed a partnership to lobby the government.
The region is already home to the UK’s busiest port complex including the four major ports of Hull, Goole, Immingham and Grimsby which combined handle around 17% of the nation’s trade.
The Humber ports play a vital role as strategic assets in the fabric of the nation, handling the materials that supply 10% of the nation’s energy, 25% of the UK’s fuel for our vehicles.
The region underpins the farming, food, retail, construction, automotive and pharmaceutical sectors across the UK but especially the Midlands and the North of England.
The opportunity to secure Freeport status for the Humber will help the region pursue a number of endeavours.
The new Humber Freeport will contain customs zone sites all across the Humber including the four main ports and three new tax sites on both banks of the Humber that will incentivise growth in new manufacturing, research and development and green energy jobs.
It will also look to secure significant inward investment from blue-chip multinationals with the potential to attract and drive both supply chain and innovation ecostructures and utilise local labour to help tackle the issues of deprivation not just in the Humber but beyond into surrounding areas in Doncaster, Wakefield and Leeds.
