Fylde awards sponsor business leader in call for roads revamp

Mick Mayor, managing director, of Team Leyland International, said the nation’s road network required a major investment if the vision of the country being open for business was to be realised.

A study by the British Chambers of Commerce showed 68 per cent of businesses believed the road network was less reliable than five years ago and just under half believed it did not meet their needs.

Team Leyland International is the sponsor of the Transport and Distribution Business of the Year category at this year’s Be Inspired Business Awards, the BIBAs.

Mr Mayor said: “The local roads where the final stretches of every delivery made by any part of the transport industry, there is a huge challenge to stop the network literally crumbling.

"More potholes means more breakdowns, more roadworks and more delays and delays in a ‘just in time’ economy are disastrous for business.

“At a national and local level, there needs to be a major overhaul if Britain’s post-Brexit vision is to be realised.”

Dr Adam Marshall, Director-General at the British Chambers of Commerce, said "a lack of concerted action to fix the fundamentals here at home" was the "biggest brake on higher UK growth" with political leaders taking their eye off the ball due to Brexit negotiations.

He added: "The power to kick-start the economy and raise growth above the current sluggish levels lies in Westminster, not Brussels, and businesses will respond to action."

Last month, Lancashire County Council pledged more than £20m of investment in to the county's road network, including more than £10m dedicated to tackling pot holes.

The Transport and Distribution Business of the Year category is a new addition to the prizes up for grabs at this year's BIBAs, one of the county's leading business awards.

It closed for applications earlier this month and its first round of judging gets underway next month with interviews at the Fylde Coast offices of of the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce starting on May 14.

In 2017, the winners of the Business of the Year category, Burnley-based refrigerated vehicle specialist, CoolKit, also collected the Manufacturer of the Year award, while Preston-based Sunshine Events also winning two categories, Employer of the Year and Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility.

Fox Brothers, which is headquartered in Poulton-le-Fylde, was the winner of the Construction Business of the Year, with Blackburn non-profit making body, Community and Business Partners, winning the Third Sector of the Year category.

For full details of the awards, visit its official website at www.thebibas.co.uk.