Shoppers are being encouraged to buy their Christmas presents early amid concerns over a shortage of delivery drivers.
It comes after the UK government failed to guarantee that there will be enough lorries on the UK’s roads leading up to the festive season to deliver presents in time and make sure shop shelves are not empty.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps spoke in the House of Commons yesterday to answer questions on the HGV staff shortage and said that it was “not in the hands” of the government to make the guarantee that Christmas delivery will not be affected.
He also told MPs that Brexit has nothing to do with the driver shortage, instead insisting that the pandemic is the “number one cause” for the shortfall of 90,000 drivers across the nation.
When Mr Shapps was quizzed by Dame Diana Johnson – Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull North – who asked: “Can he (Mr Shapps) guarantee that there won’t be shortages and empty shelves at Christmas because of the shortage of HGV drivers?”
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Mr Shapps replied: “What I can guarantee is we will do everything we possibly can to enable more HGV drivers to pass their tests to get on to the roads, to have better conditions, and the raft of other measures that we have discussed, but the whole solution is not in our hands, this is a global situation that has been described many times during this debate.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it’s “not in the hands” of the government to make the guarantee that Christmas delivery will not be affected / Credit: Flickr
He also denied claims that the UK has the current largest shortage of drivers.
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“That is not the case, we have seen the figures from Poland of a 120,000 shortage, for example, so it is a global problem that we will work day and night, every day that we can, to secure supply,” he insisted.
“But all the answers do not lie in the hands of the government to do that.”
Mr Shapps insisted the pandemic is the “number one cause” for the shortfall of 90,000 drivers across the nation / Credit: Pix4Free
The Transport Secretary also told MPs: “I am not going to stand here and deny that there haven’t been big changes to the way our industry is operating.
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“But no one can realistically deny that those problems had been coming along for a very long time.
“If there is a number one cause, it quite clearly is the pandemic.”
Mr Shapp’s comments on a potential delivery driver shortage over the festive period come after he announced additional measures in Parliament on Friday that he claims will “significantly increase” the number of HGV driving tests by up to 50,000 per year.
As part of our roadmap to tackle the HGV driver shortage affecting countries across the world, today I've announced that we will add 50,000 more HGV driving tests a year, on top of the 50% increase in tests that @DVSAgovuk has already added🚚🚚🚚
“First, we will eliminate the need for some car drivers who want to tow a trailer to take an additional test… allowing about 30,000 more HGV tests every single year,” he said.
“Second, tests will also be made more efficient by removing the reversing exercise element and vehicles with trailers [and] the uncoupling and recoupling exercise, having that test separately carried out by a third party so, it’s still being done.
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“Third, we’re making it quicker to get a licence to drive an articulated vehicle without first having to get a licence for a smaller vehicle and this will make around 20,000 more HGV tests available every year.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons | pxhere
News
Police appeal launched as woman dies after being hit by lorry in Bury
Daisy Jackson
A woman has tragically died after being hit by a lorry in Bury yesterday afternoon.
At around 3.45pm on Tuesday 6 October, emergency services were called to a road traffic collision in Radcliffe.
The collision was between a pedestrian and a lorry on Church Street West.
Tragically, the pedestrian – a woman in her 50s – passed away at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.
A large cordon was in place yesterday and road has remained closed this morning.
Officers from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are now appealing for information.
They said: “At around 3.45pm yesterday (Tuesday 6 October 2026) we were called to reports of a road traffic collision between a pedestrian and a lorry on Church Street West, Radcliffe.
“Emergency services attended but sadly the pedestrian, a woman in her 50s, passed away at the scene.
“No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.
“Anyone with information including CCTV, Ring doorbell or dashcam footage is asked to contact police on 101 quoting log 2299 of 06.10.26. Reports can also be made via our website of the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk.
“Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
New measures announced to tackle ‘rogue’ landlords across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A cohort of trained enforcement officers are set to hit the streets in all 10 boroughs to help improve the lives of the region’s renters.
Forming part of Greater Manchester‘s commitment to the highest-quality housing standards alongside the Good Landlord Charter, the newly trained enforcement officers will be tasked with protecting tenants, joining Council teams in checking rental properties, bringing enforcement action against bad landlords, and cracking down on illegal practices.
The introduction of the new enforcement officers comes after what has been ‘years of sustained pressure’ on local budgets.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) says it is working with the 10 councils across the region to strengthen local teams, rebuild in-house skills and expertise, and ensure that powers can be applied with consistency in all boroughs.
As mentioned, this all forms part of the Good Landlord Charter – which is GMCA’s ‘bold approach’ to drive up standards for renters across the region.
Landlords of more than half of rented properties in Greater Manchester have now signed up as supporters of the Charter, and as supporters, they have committed to going above and beyond legal minimums to improve the renting experience for hundreds of thousands of people.
“A safe place to call home is the cornerstone of a happy, healthy life,” explained Mayor Bev Craig. “But for years, people have felt trapped in poor-quality housing, and cash-strapped councils were unable to step in to help. I’m putting an end to that.
“We know there are plenty of good landlords in Greater Manchester, and many of them have already signed up to our Good Landlord Charter, but too many are just not good enough.
“That’s why we’re deploying a new generation of expert housing officers onto the streets of our towns and cities.”
Mayor Bev Craig declared that she ‘won’t stand by and let rogue landlords take advantage of people’.
She continued: “By empowering renters, working with responsible landlords, and using our powers to crack down on the bad ones, I will make sure everyone in Greater Manchester has the foundation for a good life.”
The Manc -
14th September 2021 
