Freight Council

The Freight Council is a cross-modal freight forum to drive collaboration between government and the freight sector.

The Freight Council is a partnership between government, business and trade associations that provides strategic leadership to address challenges facing the multimodal freight and logistics sector and optimise its role in delivering the government’s Plan for Change and missions.

The Freight Council meets quarterly. The Council will raise the status of freight in cross-economy challenges being addressed by government and industry. Alongside the government, the Council will take action to ensure freight plays the right role in addressing the challenges and opportunities in areas including, but not limited to, growing the economy and the transition to net zero.

The Freight Council sits at the apex of government engagement with the freight sector, but the government will continue to develop and embed cross-Whitehall and industry engagement at all levels.

Chair

The council is co-chaired by the DfT minister responsible for Future of Freight and an independent industry representative (currently Isabel Dedring).

Members

Members are:

  • Clare Bottle, Chief Executive Officer, UK Warehousing Association
  • Richard Ballantyne, Chief Executive Officer, British Ports Association
  • Geraint Evans, Chief Executive Officer, UK Major Ports Group
  • Amanda Francis, Chief Executive Officer, Association of International Courier and Express Services
  • Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General, Rail Freight Group
  • Richard Smith, Managing Director, Road Haulage Association
  • David Wells, Chief Executive Officer, Logistics UK
  • Sarah Bell, Director of Public Affairs UK, UPS 
  • David Alec Hart, Logistics and Supply Chain Director, Cemex 
  • Fiona Hamilton, Head of Public Affairs, Royal Mail 
  • Nick Potter, Transport Director, Tesco 
  • Andrew Malcolm, Chief Executive Officer, Malcom Transport 
  • Chris Welch, Managing Director, Welch Group 
  • Stephen Carr, Commercial Director, Peel Ports Group
  • Senior officials from DfT and other government departments

Freight Council meeting minutes

Terms of reference

The Freight Council’s terms of reference will be published here following agreement at the first meeting on 7 April 2025.

Press releases and government publications

Contact details

FutureofFreight@dft.gov.uk

Contents