THE BUDGET yesterday announced the creation of eight new English Freeports one of which will be based in the Humber. Humber Freeport status will have ramifications for the local area.
Humber Freeport.
The Humber Freeport plan was initiated and led by Associated British Ports (ABP). It is supported by the four Humber local authorities of East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull, North and North East Lincolnshire. Also lending their weight are the Greater Lincolnshire and Humber Local Enterprise Partnerships.
In his budget speech yesterday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak spoke about Freeports being areas where businesses will benefit from more generous tax reliefs, simplified customs procedures and wider government support. They will bring investment, trade and jobs regenerating regions across the country that need it most. Freeports, he asserted, will benefit the whole of the UK.
The ports of Goole, Immingham and Grimsby are target areas of the new Freeport. The Humber International Enterprise Park near Paull and Hedon is earmarked as a key location.
Humber International Enterprise Park.
The planning application for the Enterprise Park is lodged with the East Riding Council. It was deferred last month while fuller consultation takes place. The Chancellor’s announcement yesterday will be a significant spur to ABP to drive that project forward.
The granting of Freeport status will certainly be an issue on the minds of Planning Committee members. They have to weigh up the economic momentum that has built up behind the Humber International Enterprise Park, against the plight of the small village of Paull and the town of Hedon. The development will have significant impacts on the South West Holderness ward area. Councillor John Dennis as ward representative said at the Planning Committee on 4th February: “I appeal to members to be brave and reject the application; imagine if it was your community that was going to be changed irreparably forever?” However, with planning reasons to reject the application disappearing, the mammoth development looks set to roll on and over that appeal.
Considering the size of the development being proposed and the players involved, then comparisons with the David and Goliath parable are inevitable. We know how that story ended when David found the giant’s vulnerable spots. We might ask in this case; how many stones are left to fire at the behemoth?
Find out more about the planning application at the East Riding Publc Access website and search for reference: 18/04071/STPLFE.
It is interesting how many people have now entered the “Jobs” Frenzy that is the Freeport. I have to ask you all about your thoughts on this one subject “Taxes”.
So we all get taxed and pay what’s due. The small to medium business in and around our area pay their corporation taxes, income taxes, VAT etc.
All this money goes to fund the infrastructure of England, our roads, the NHS, the Schools, Welfare etc etc. Now a few years back there was a public outcry when it became public knowledge that some of the big America IT and coffee companies based in the UK paid no corporation tax in this country despite making millions on paper. This in reality deprives this country of much needed funds and pushes the burden onto us all. If you owe tax at the end of the year, you will be chased down for it. I get that and accept it totally. These are the rules and we should all play by the rules.
Once these Freeports are fully established these rules will change. We could end up with many companies relocating from other areas in the UK were they are paying taxes to one of these freeports. This could then off balance competition in local areas and defeat the actually reasons for Freeports. Now lets throw another scenario into the game.
One of the winners of these Freeports is a consortium led by a company that really does not have any moral issues with operating under a scheme that shows them operating at massive losses year on year resulting in negative profits or the payment of Tax based on profit. They are not breaking the law but neither was Gary Barlow or Jimmy Carr etc etc. but we don’t like people or companies that put the burden of paying taxes on the little man do we? or do we if they bring jobs to the area. I am a little confused. All they do is facilitate this company only employs 1900 people in the whole of the UK so please don’t let them confuse you with their smart words for marketing purposes. All the people who work on the sites they manage are employed by other companies that pay ABP for the privilege of working on their managed site.
Here is a clip from one of the tabloids. Just type in to google:” ABP Eurobond scandal” then read about this. “Associated British Ports accrued more interest to its owners than any other company in this investigation, potentially avoiding £55.7m in 2012 alone and more than £100m since the Eurobonds were issued in 2006. An ABP spokesman said its “financing structure is compliant with UK law”. I did not write this article nor can i vouch for it but it is one of many you can find on line.
They may not be breaking the law but for a supposed British company this is morally wrong! You may say its their money they can do what they want. But 26% of their profits should be your money to reduce your tax burden in the future. You may want to ask them about this or just go to companies house pull up their group accounts and do some reading!
Cllr John Dennis, Ward Member for the S W Holderness area. ERYC
Actually the MP for North Hull is technically correct. The land actually allocated for The Freeport is the massive ABP site in the area of Hedon, Paull and Saltend, actually in the East Riding. Part of this site already has Enterprize Zone status and has had for years. It’s now to be ‘Freeport’ too.
It will, if passed for planning provide a 453 acres extension of Hull’s dockland estate and as such will provide long-term employment opportunities to the whole area, including Hull. It is envisaged that this will be over many years.
The consultation exercise is now over, not to local residents’ satisfaction, but ABP have complied with the planning committees request to ‘consult’.
It now will go back for The Strategic Planning Committee’s decision, later this month.
Someone arguably has their facts wrong. Hull has been overlooked for Freeport status according to North Hull’s Labour MP, Dame Diana Johnson. The city is one of the most deprived UK areas and desperately needs investment to encourage more influx of industry and improve employment opportunities and living standards.