As part of a 10-point plan to build on the recent successes in the UK automotive industry, Britain's biggest union Unite has called on public bodies to buy local to support UK automotive and components manufacturing.
A freedom of information request tabled by the Union has found that 72% of vehicles procured by police authorities were manufactured overseas.
Merseyside police procured 11.5% of their vehicles from UK-based manufacturers, with 8% of the total from Vauxhall, while West Midlands police procured 30% of their vehicles from UK-based manufacturers, with 2% of the total from Jaguar Land Rover.
Unite believes that a key element of boosting vehicle manufacturing must include a positive procurement policy encouraged by central government to buy vehicles manufactured in the UK. The public sector spends around £220 billion each year on procurement.
Unite national officer Roger Maddison said: "The Government could boost demand at a stroke by introducing a procurement strategy to support UK motor manufacturing.
“It is outrageous that 72 per cent of police vehicles are built outside the UK. This would never happen in Germany or France. Public bodies in the UK should use their buying power to support UK manufacturing.
"An interventionist government could do so much to support jobs and skills in manufacturing. It is time for the Government to listen to our demands because Unite understands manufacturing and the measures needed to support it."
rosco7 - 23/05/2012 09:27
It is not possible for any part of the public sector to discriminate in its spending in this way. All tenders are open to companies across the EU and to reject tenders simply because they are not British. In order to acheive this the UK would have to withdraw from elements of the EU in relation to free trade. I admire the sentiment of the Union, but what they seek is impossible. Perhaps they would get more success by insisting Germany and France have open tenders that British made vehicles could compete in.