Lorries on motorway

KCC will not see a single penny of money generated from charging foreign hauliers to use UK roads- despite thousands of lorries travelling through Kent every day

Government ministers have admitted that none of the money generated from charging foreign lorry drivers to use UK roads will go towards helping with Operation Stack.

Kent County Council had contacted ministers calling for funds from the scheme to help improve roads damaged by foreign hauliers and also to assist in finding a solution to Operation Stack, when lorries are parked up on the M20.

During a full meeting of KCC, Folkestone West representative Cllr Tim Prater questioned cabinet member for highways Bryan Sweetland.

“Given the Government announcement of charging foreign lorry drivers to drive on our roads, and the long term stated aim by this council of seeing such a scheme pay for a long term solution to Operation Stack, what reassurance has been received that Kent will see additional funding from this scheme to remove this long term burden on businesses, hauliers and residents?”

Cllr Sweetland said while the Government forecast that from 2015/16 the scheme would generate revenue of £23m, not a single penny would go to KCC.

“A significant percentage of the cost of the KCC solution to the problems caused by Operation Stack could be achieved from the revenue expected from the first year’s charging of foreign lorries,” said Cllr Sweetland.

“I have heard the road’s minister recently assert that none of this money will be going to KCC.

“But the fact remains that 87 per cent of all international road haulage that arrives in the UK, arrives via the Dover Strait and with the planned port development at both Dover and Calais, this figure will increase further.”