On Friday 26 April, the National Franchised Dealer Association (NFDA) facilitated the visit of Navendu Mishra MP to Lookers Volvo dealership situated in the MP’s constituency of Stockport.
The visit builds on NFDA’s parliamentary engagement programme with NFDA also helping to organise a visit by Justin Madders MP to an M53 Ford dealership in the MP’s constituency of Ellesmere Port earlier this month.
Navendu Mishra and his team were shown around the dealership site by David Cooper, Franchise Director at Lookers, as well as NFDA representatives*. The MP spoke to the Lookers staff present during the visit and viewed the facilities that were on offer.
The visit saw all parties discuss challenges affecting the sector at the local and national levels as well as the benefits dealerships such as Lookers bring to local communities.
Discussions included:
Apprenticeship Levy and Wider Apprenticeship Reform
NFDA emphasised that one of the key challenges the industry is currently facing is regarding the ongoing skills shortage and the need for wider apprenticeship reform.
A report titled Driving Auto Forwards released by the Institute of the Motor Industry in December 2023, references that in 2023, the motor trade sector witnessed its highest vacancy rate in 21 years. The sector also saw the second-highest rate of vacancy rates across industries since summer 2022, exceeded only by the accommodation and food services sector.
This was highlighted to Navendu and reform of the Apprenticeship Levy was noted as a key area which could help alleviate the skills shortage. The current levy system is a very convoluted process which has proven to be difficult to navigate for employers. NFDA has repeatedly called for reform of the Levy.
The MP also had the opportunity to have a chat with an apprentice working at the site.
Charging Infrastructure
NFDA underscored that a critical component in the transition to electric is charging infrastructure.
It was emphasised to Navendu that the UK currently has a patchwork system of charging infrastructure with some regions lagging far behind others.
The Government’s failure to meet its target of at least six rapid chargers at every motorway service station in England by the end of 2023 as well as its sluggish progress to meet its goal of 300,000 public chargers by 2030 were pointed out.
To accentuate this point, it was spotlighted to the MP that Stockport features in the bottom 20% of the country for devices per 100,000 people.
Price Incentives
Price incentives were also discussed as a way of incentivising consumers during the transition to electric. Navendu was made aware that fleet has been driving demand in recent months with little appetite from private buyers.
The MP was informed that the current government have no current plans to address this issue with the Government’s response, in the previous week, to a House of Lords Committee’s electric vehicle report ruling out introducing incentives for electric vehicles.
Sue Robinson, NFDA Chief Executive, commented: “NFDA thanks Navendu Mishra MP for visiting Lookers Volvo in Stockport to discuss the current challenges facing our sector.
“Navendu was engaged throughout looking at the facilities on offer as well as meeting with the on-site staff
“As the year progresses, NFDA will continue its programme of parliamentary engagement to ensure the concerns of dealers and consumers alike are addressed.”
