Guidance

Freeports delivery roadmap

The roadmap sets out the measures government is taking to maximise the future success of Freeports.

From:
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Published
19 December 2023

Ministerial foreword

I am delighted to present this delivery roadmap, a blueprint for unlocking the full potential of the UK’s Freeports programme. The impact Freeports are already having is clear: at the recent Global Investment Summit, the Prime Minister announced that Freeports have already attracted a remarkable £2.9 billion of investment, creating over 6,000 jobs. Freeports are working, but this is just the start.

Since 2021, the government has announced 12 Freeports, which are together projected to create over 200,000 jobs, many of which will be in the high-innovation, low-carbon technologies of the future. Freeports will transform our industrial heartlands, putting them right at the forefront of our journey to Net Zero.

We can already see this starting to happen. On the Humber, for example, the Freeport has helped secure an investment from Pensana PLC to create the UK’s first rare earth processing facility – a critical link in the supply chain for green energy and low carbon technologies. Further up the coast, the Teesside Freeport is harnessing its proximity to the North Sea and attracting major investment in offshore wind manufacturing, including a facility built by SeAH Wind. In south-west England, the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport is playing to local strengths, having secured investment from M Subs, who design and operate underwater vehicles, in a continuation of the region’s proud maritime tradition. Across the board, Freeports are delivering for communities with new skills programmes, apprenticeships, and scholarships to ensure local people benefit from the jobs created. These examples show the early impacts Freeports are having, but their true potential is transformational.

As we press forward, it is imperative that we do everything we can to realise that potential. For this reason, I was delighted to see the Chancellor announce in the recent Autumn Statement an extension to the Freeport tax reliefs, which will provide businesses with the long-term support they need to invest, and a new £150 million Investment Opportunities Fund to help land investment into Freeports and Investment Zones.

But we need to go further. This document – the ‘Freeports Delivery Roadmap’ – sets out our plan for doing so. It is a comprehensive set of measures that government will implement to accelerate Freeport delivery and maximise its benefits for all: we are doubling down on our efforts to promote Freeports to investors; we are making sure those investors have as smooth a journey through the planning system as possible; and we are stepping up our support to ensure Freeports deliver positive impacts for local people and for the long term.

This is our pledge to do what it takes to maximise the full potential of Freeports. The scale of the opportunity is vast, and the journey has only just begun, but together we will bring a tide of prosperity to communities in all corners of the UK.

The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Introduction

The first Freeports were announced in England by the Prime Minister, then Chancellor, in March 2021 and since then rapid progress has been made. Four further Freeports have been announced, in Scotland and Wales, and across Freeport locations, councils, businesses, and other key stakeholders have been busily working to establish the right structures for delivery.

What are Freeports?

At their core, Freeports are about rebalancing regional economies in disadvantaged parts of the UK towards the sectors of the future, laying the foundations for long-term, durable prosperity that builds upon areas’ proud industrial heritages and leverages ports (sea and air) as key local economic assets. This is a lofty ambition, but Freeports have at their disposal a powerful toolkit of policy measures to realise it.

First, a generous financial package allows Freeports to unlock underutilised sites that have enormous potential – in part thanks to their proximity to port infrastructure – but are in parts of the country which suffer from lower levels of economic activity. Companies locating on those specific sites will benefit from a suite of tax reliefs on new investment and job creation, simplified customs procedures, and wide-ranging support to trade, invest, and innovate. In aggregate these measures aim to create investable sites across the UK, focused on the sectors of the future.

Working together, Freeports and government are promoting these propositions with the aim of landing investment into Freeport sites, creating high-quality jobs for local people and generating additional tax revenue for local councils. Those councils are able to keep all the business rates generated on Freeport sites – instead of the normal 50% share – for 25 years, giving them a long-term funding settlement potentially worth hundreds of millions of pounds - to support investments in local infrastructure and skills.

This will further increase the attractiveness of Freeports to investors, leading to more investment and, ultimately, the creation of new green energy and manufacturing clusters and sustainable growth for regional economies historically centred on industries like oil and gas.

1. East Midlands Freeport
2. Freeport East
3. Humber Freeport
4. Liverpool City Region Freeport
5. Plymouth and South Devon Freeport
6. Solent Freeport
7. Teesside Freeport
8. Thames Freeport
9. Forth Green Freeport
10. Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport
11. Anglesey Freeport
12. Celtic Freeport

How are Freeports delivered?

Freeport delivery is led by a local partnership of councils, businesses, and other key stakeholders, which together form a ‘Freeport governing body’. Freeport governing bodies take a range of forms, but all are required to adhere to high standards of transparency and their local authority members ensure the appropriate management of public money and democratic accountability.

Local delivery is supported by departments from across government, reflecting the wide-ranging and cross-cutting nature of the policy measures available to Freeports. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) acts as the lead department, working in partnership with:

This cross-government delivery structure will be bolstered by the creation of a Freeports Independent Advisory Panel, which will provide external expert advice to the programme and a forum for business voices to be heard in Freeports policymaking.

This document looks to build on the support already in place and sets out a comprehensive package of measures that government will introduce to double down on the early successes of Freeports and ensure they deliver on their full potential.

The Freeports delivery road map

The measures making up this delivery roadmap each aim to strengthen a key link in the Freeports delivery chain and are structured around 3 key strands:

  • creating investable sites – bringing sites and enabling infrastructure forward, ready for businesses to invest
  • landing investment – promoting Freeports and working with business to secure investment
  • creating clusters and local economic growth – capitalising on early investment to attract a wider supply chain and foster a cluster, while reinvesting in the local economy and communities.

The measures outlined below have been developed in response to the opportunities and challenges faced by English Freeports as they have progressed through delivery but, in many cases, can benefit and will apply to Freeports UK-wide as well as Investment Zones. Where this is the case, it is clearly stated. DLUHC will continue to work closely with UK government departments, and with the Scottish and Welsh Governments and their respective agencies, to ensure appropriate support is available for Green Freeports in Scotland, for Freeports in Wales and for Investment Zones so that they can benefit from the measures outlined in this Roadmap where applicable. The UK government will also continue to work with stakeholders on how best to deliver the benefits of the Freeports and Investment Zones programmes in Northern Ireland.

1. Creating investable sites

Freeports aim to bring forward dormant sites for rapid development, including major projects in nascent sectors. These are complex undertakings with long lead times and so it is crucial that government does all it can to accelerate enabling processes, including planning consenting and infrastructure delivery.

Infrastructure

Since Freeports focus on attracting new investment to previously underutilised sites, in many cases enabling works are required to prepare sites for development. This may include remediating contaminated land, upgrading transport links, or demolishing old and unwanted structures. Where the cost of these works, or the risks associated with them, are so great that it is unrealistic to expect the private sector alone to meet them, it is necessary for government to provide support.

Transport is a key enabler for the development of sites, both in the immediate vicinity and across wider strategic transport networks. The Department for Transport will therefore ensure the needs of Freeports are considered in transport funding decisions and that their impacts on the transport network are accounted for in scheme appraisal work. For example, as £36 billion of Network North transport investments (which includes transport investment across the country) are made, DfT will also ensure that opportunities to maximise the benefits of Freeports are considered.

Access to financing can also be a constraint. Where Freeport sites require significant up-front enabling works, the UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) will proactively engage Freeports, providing expert advisory support and exploring options to provide flexible loans to Freeport local authorities and debt, equity, and government backed guarantees to private sector partners for eligible projects. DLUHC will also work with Freeports and across government to develop bespoke solutions for sites facing financing constraints, including exploring possible avenues for further government funding.

The government also recognises that wait times for electricity grid connectivity can be a source of delays for the delivery of Freeport sites. The government is working closely with Ofgem and network companies to ensure sufficient network capacity and accelerate grid connections: £3.1 billion has been allocated for network upgrades between 2023 and 2028.  The Connections Action Plan, published jointly with Ofgem, will drastically reduce the time it takes viable projects to connect to the grid. Through reforms to grid connections, government aims to reduce the average delay a viable project faces to connect to the transmission network from 5 years to 6 months with the ambition that the significant majority of projects, including those within Freeports, can connect in line with their realistic project requirements. Ofgem have published their decision to grant the Electricity System Operator powers to remove stalled, speculative or unviable projects from the connections queue if they cannot meet key milestones.

DESNZ will work with Ofgem on the implementation of its recently announced Regional Energy Strategic Planners to improve local energy planning, including in Freeport areas, and work with Freeports to understand their infrastructure needs and attract investment for projects. DESNZ will also work with the Office for Investment (OfI) to manage a triage process to ensure that the most strategically important projects receive government support to facilitate timely connection times. Finally, DLUHC will make available to Freeports centrally contracted expert advice to support them in engaging energy network stakeholders.

Planning

The current planning system in England gives local authorities a powerful set of tools for creating an environment that can support appropriate development on Freeport sites. The government will take steps to ensure those tools are used as effectively as possible and to minimise friction at key stages in the planning process.

The government will ensure that relevant national planning policy reflects the needs and priority of Freeports and Investment Zones, giving local planning authorities and businesses greater certainty and clarity. This will include the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), new National Development Management Policies, the National Policy Statement for Ports and the associated Planning Practice Guidance around Ports and Transport. Any Freeport or Investment Zone project that is deemed to be a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) will also benefit from a reformed consenting process from Spring 2024, including being able to use a fast-track route for seeking Development Consent, subject to meeting the required quality standards.

To accelerate particularly large-scale, priority developments, DLUHC’s new ‘Planning Super Squad’ of expert planners will be empowered to support Freeport and Investment Zone projects, which could include bolstering local authority capability and greater use of Local Development Orders. Freeports and Investment Zones will also be able to take advantage of the measures introduced by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, including on Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs), the Infrastructure Levy, and development corporations. The Act gives English local authorities clearer powers to use CPOs to deliver regeneration outcomes, while streamlining the CPO process and reforming land compensation rules to ensure they are fair. The Act also introduces powers for the government to create a new, mandatory Infrastructure Levy, which will aim to generate more funding for affordable housing and infrastructure from development in areas like Freeports. Finally, the Act enhances the statutory framework for development corporations, ensuring they have the powers and functions necessary to unlock strategic development in all parts of England.

Statutory Consultees have an important role in the planning process, providing timely advice to decision makers and developers to help them ensure that Freeport developments meet planning requirements and that any impacts on the environment, infrastructure and safety are assessed and mitigated. Government will provide advice to relevant statutory consultees to ensure they understand the priority of Freeports and has also announced an independent review of the role of national statutory consultees to ensure they can provide more timely and effective advice to decision makers.  

To ensure that we continue to protect the environment while delivering the new development needed, DEFRA and its arm’s length bodies will work with Freeports to consider Freeport masterplans, where they are developed. This will inform where cost-recovered pre-application advice services may be needed, for example on environmental evidence, assessments, and proposed solutions to identified challenges. Where appropriate, opportunities might be considered for embedding staff to work with the Freeports. Natural England and the Environment Agency will engage with applicants and the Planning Inspectorate to identify and resolve environmental issues with NSIP schemes prior to examination, including working with the enhanced services being put in place to support the fast-track route.

Natural England and the Environment Agency will prioritise engagement with the Freeport programme based on environmental risks and opportunities, to focus their expertise and support where it is needed. Consideration will be given to piloting and testing approaches within Freeport locations to improve evidence, understanding, and certainty of environmental issues and opportunities to support economic growth whilst delivering on the government’s ambition to improve the environment within a generation. DEFRA and its arm’s-length bodies will continue to support and promote the use of the Coastal Concordat for Freeport local planning authorities signed up to the approach and advocate the approach across others, to provide a framework for multiple permissions to be better co-ordinated.

In addition, DCMS and its arm’s-length body, Historic England, will develop a Service Level Agreement for the Freeports programme with DLUHC to ensure Historic England has the resources available to provide Freeports with the advice and services they need.

2. Landing investment

In addition to Freeport sites being ready for development, it is critical to ensure that the right resources are in place, locally and within government, to effectively promote those sites and land investment into them. The government is, therefore, committing additional funding to this activity and ensuring DBT and OfI are fully prepared to seize the opportunities Freeports present.

Funding and tax incentives

In the Autumn Statement, the government announced 2 key measures that will catalyse investment into Freeports. First, the window for claiming the Freeport tax reliefs will be extended by 5 years. This is a recognition of their effectiveness in attracting private sector investment as well as the importance of giving businesses the long-term certainty to invest, especially in complex, innovative projects with long lead times. This extension will have an immediate impact on these commercial decisions, boosting investment here and now. Second, the government is creating a £150 million fund to support Freeports and Investment Zones across the UK to secure business investment opportunities.

To ensure Freeports are equipped to seize the opportunities these measures create and to effectively market themselves and attract investment, the government will explore options for helping Freeports to increase local delivery capacity. In parallel, DLUHC will also review reporting requirements placed on Freeports to ensure requests are streamlined and proportionate, so that Freeports can stay focused on their core mission of delivering investment and creating jobs in their local economies.

Investment promotion

The government actively promotes Freeports and Investment Zones to potential inward investors through DBT and OFI. In recognition of the size of the opportunity, DBT has expanded the resourcing of its Freeports and Investment Zones investment attraction functions and will prioritise the promotion of each at investor events. The Department’s resourcing arrangements in support of both programmes will also be kept under review to ensure they remain suitable for the evolving opportunities and requirements of Freeports and Investment Zones as they progress into delivery.

DBT will also recognise Freeports and Investment Zones as a key promotional priority within the objectives of its investor-facing network. In support of this, the Department will develop key marketing materials for Freeports and Investment Zones and will profile and proactively engage target investors for each Freeport and Investment Zone site. Where sites face barriers to investment, DLUHC and DBT will commit to bringing together relevant departments and agencies to respond to those barriers in a targeted way.

OfI will coordinate cross-government efforts to promote those Freeport and Investment Zone opportunities that are the most investment-ready and will provide end-to-end support to investors to land high value investment aligned to strategic sectors, for example, Net Zero, Science and Technology and Advanced Manufacturing.

Recognising the complementarity of the Freeports and Investment Zone programmes, the government will continue to ensure these remain aligned, including by developing unified messaging and branding to ensure that, when promoting Freeports and Investment Zones to investors, it is clear how the programmes complement one another.

3. Creating clusters and local economic growth

The ability of Freeports to achieve long-term and far-reaching economic impacts will depend on nurturing the components of durable growth. This means they will need to positively develop their local labour markets, create an innovative and collaborative environment for businesses and futureproof their growth by seizing opportunities to decarbonise. Freeports have a powerful arsenal of incentives to achieve these aims but will also need help from government to ensure they remain aligned with, and are fully benefitting from, wider policy in these areas.

Skills

Freeports will need to play an active role in their local labour markets, both to ensure that local people are able to access and fully benefit from the jobs they create and to develop the specialist skills needed to attract high-innovation businesses in emerging sectors. To achieve this, they will need to work closely with a wide range of local and national partners and the government stands ready to support them with this.

DfE will establish linkages between key partners and Freeports to strengthen the skills offer available to Freeports, including sharing best practice and lessons learnt. DfE place-based teams will provide support to better position skills providers to respond effectively to the local needs of Freeport and Investment Zone areas, maximising the benefits felt by communities in their regions.

DfE will champion joint working between Freeports/Investment Zones and local colleges which will support the creation of a pipeline of highly skilled local workers and will work to join up government skills initiatives and promote and improve enrolment in apprenticeships, skills bootcamps and other relevant skills routes. DfE will also ensure that the National Careers Service Prime Contractors are aware of the opportunities of Freeports and Investment Zones and, if needed, will broker engagement with Mayoral Combined Authorities and Employer Representative Bodies (ERBs) and raise the profile of Freeports and Investment Zones, when established, with relevant provider sector bodies.

DWP will utilise local Job Fairs and, where appropriate, create bespoke Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes to connect jobseekers with Freeport employers and provide them with opportunities in new sectors. They will also ensure that they form part of Job Centre Plus Work Coaches’ conversations with claimants in local communities.

Innovation

The government aims to establish Freeports and Investment Zones as innovation clusters, playing a key role in its wider ambition to establish the UK as an innovation nation and global science superpower. To achieve this, DSIT will work closely with DLUHC to ensure that the design and implementation of innovation policy and funding is cognisant of Freeports and Investment Zones and will explore options for supporting their development as innovative clusters at future spending reviews.

In parallel, DSIT will work with DLUHC to promote and enhance the Freeports Regulation Engagement Network (FREN). DSIT will expand the FREN offer to support businesses within Investment Zones and, drawing on the expertise of DBT’s Smarter Regulation programme, will widen its focus beyond regulatory innovation to address broader regulatory barriers to business investment. The FREN will work with other government departments to explore, and develop a plan for implementing, pro-innovation regulatory tools, such as regulatory sandboxes, within Freeports and Investment Zones.

The government also aims to place Freeports at the forefront of border innovation and the ambition, articulated in the 2025 UK Border Strategy, to have the world’s most effective border. To achieve this, the government is establishing the Freeports Border Innovation Forum, which will bring border, trade, and customs policymakers together from across government to consider opportunities to supplement the existing Freeports customs offer with new technologies and innovations, support Freeports to deliver the necessary enabling infrastructure, and to integrate technology and data into our border to make trade truly digital.

Decarbonisation

Freeports can be at the vanguard of our journey to Net Zero, helping refocus critical, historically carbon-intensive economies like Teesside, the Humber, the Cromarty Firth, and Milford Haven towards green energy and industry. The opportunity here is immense, but seizing it will depend on maximising synergies between different areas of government policy as well as coordinated investment from the private sector.

DLUHC and DESNZ will therefore work together to ensure that the development and delivery of relevant Net Zero policies and funding programmes – such as those relating to offshore wind, hydrogen, and Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS) – are cognisant of the opportunities Freeports and Investment Zones present.

DESNZ will ensure that investors into CCUS and the emerging low-carbon hydrogen economy are aware of the benefits of Freeports and Investment Zones, including those looking to invest in the supply chain as well as along the value chain from production to demand, for instance through inclusion in the next iterations of the Hydrogen and CCUS Investor Roadmaps used with investors to showcase UK investment opportunities.

Offshore wind, both floating and fixed bottom, is a key sector for a number of Freeports and is expected to play a major role in the UK’s transition to a Net Zero economy. The government will continue to engage with the ports sector – including relevant Freeports and Investment Zones, which will be assigned a dedicated point of contact within DESNZ – to develop a shared understanding of the barriers to offshore wind investment and identify potential solutions to overcome them. For example, the government is developing proposals that, if taken forward, could provide support to offshore wind projects that take significant action to boost the sustainability of their supply chains through the Contract for Difference Sustainable Industry Reward Scheme, currently out for public consultation. In addition, UKIB set out in its recent Strategy Update its ambition to help address some of these barriers through its finance and DLUHC, together with UKIB, will work with the relevant Freeports to understand their financing needs and identify potential investment options, bringing in other arms of government and the public sector to support this.

Next steps

The government will now work at pace to implement the measures set out above. These are summarised below, along with approximate delivery timescales.

Theme Department
organisation		 Commitment Outcome Delivery Timescales
Infrastructure DfT Consider how the benefits of Freeports can be maximised as relevant Network North schemes are progressed Meeting transport needs On a project-by-project basis
Infrastructure DfT Reflect Freeports in DfT business cases and funding decisions Meeting transport needs 6 months
Infrastructure UKIB Provide Freeports with advisory expertise and support Tackling financing gaps 3 months
Infrastructure UKIB Provideflexible loans to Freeport local authorities and debt, equity, or guarantees to private sector partners Tackling financing gaps As Freeports come forward
Infrastructure UKIB Identify investment options for offshore wind port infrastructure in Freeports Tackling financing gaps 6 months
Infrastructure DLUHC Make centrally contracted expert advice available to Freeports to support them in engaging energy network stakeholders Accelerated site delivery Next 3 months
Infrastructure DESNZ Work with Ofgem to implement Regional Energy Strategic Planners Accelerated site delivery Next 6 months
Planning DLUHC Reflect Freeports and Investment Zones in the NPPF and other Policy Statements Greater clarity for Local Planning Authorities 2024/25
Planning DLUHC Support large-scale Freeport sites through the planning Super Squad Accelerated planning consents From April 2024
Planning DLUHC Include relevant Freeport sites in the NSIP Fast-Track Scheme Accelerated planning consents From Spring 2024
Planning DLUHC Engage with National Statutory Consultees to identify issues and prioritise engagement Accelerated planning consents 4 months
Planning DLUHC Independently review the role of national statutory consultees to ensure they can provide more timely and effective advice to decision makers. Accelerated planning consents 2024
Planning DfT Include in relevant Transport National Development Management Policies and cover the need to plan for Freeports in updates to the NPPF, including updates to any associated Planning Practice Guidance around Ports and Transport Greater clarity for Local Planning Authorities 2024/25
Planning DfT Ensure that government’s response to the call for evidence on Freight, Logistics, and the Planning system brings out appropriate linkages to Freeports policy Greater clarity for Local Planning Authorities 2024/25
Planning DfT Review advice given to DfT Statutory Consultees and to ensure appropriate prioritisation Accelerated planning consents 4 months
Planning DEFRA (through ALBs) Work with Freeports to understand their needs for expert advice Accelerated planning consents Next 6 months
Planning DEFRA (through ALBs) Support local planning authorities who are already signed up to the Coastal Concordat and promote its adoption with others Accelerated planning consents Next 12 months
Planning DEFRA (through ALBs) Provide early advice through cost recovered pre-application advice services Accelerated planning consents Ongoing
Planning DEFRA (through ALBs) Consider Freeport masterplans to inform where ALBs will provide advice, for example, environmental evidence Accelerated planning consents Next 6-8 months
Planning DEFRA (through ALBs) Prioritise engagement based on environmental risks and opportunities to provide focussed expertise and support Environment Agency and Natural England Accelerated planning consents Ongoing
Planning DEFRA (through ALBs) Work with the Planning Advisory Service to support their programme of capability building with Freeport planners Accelerated planning consents Next 6 months
Planning DCMS (through Historic England) Develop a Freeports programme Service Level Agreement to ensure Historic England have the resources available to provide Freeports with the advice and services needed Accelerated planning consents Next 6-8 months
Funding and tax Incentives HM Treasury Extend the window for claiming tax reliefs from 5 to 10years (The National Insurance contributions relief will continue to apply for 36 months per employee within the extended ten-year window) Long-term support for businesses to invest During 2024
Funding and tax Incentives DLUHC Introduce a new £150 million Investment Opportunities Fund for Freeports and Investment Zones Increased investment into Freeports 2023/24-2026/27
Investment promotion DBT Expanded DBT Freeports and Investment Zones investment attraction functions and boosting the promotion of each at investor events Enhanced investment attraction Ongoing
Investment promotion DBT Adopt an objective for investor-facing teams relating to the promotion of Freeports and Investment Zones Enhanced investment attraction 3 months
Investment promotion DBT and DLUHC Convene across government, where sites face barriers to investment, to respond to those barriers in a targeted way Tackling critical site delivery issues 3-6 months
Investment promotion OfI Promote the most investment-ready sites and provide end-to-end support to high-value investors Enhanced investment attraction 3 months
Skills and Workforce Access DfE Meet with Freeport SROs to better position skills providers to respond Improved delivery of Freeport skills programmes Next 4 months
Skills and Workforce Access DfE Champion joint working between Freeports, Institutes of Technology and local colleges Improved delivery of Freeport skills programmes Next 6 months
Skills and Workforce Access DfE Ensure Freeport sites are considered for pilots, new skills initiatives or variations to existing ones Improved delivery of Freeport skills programmes Next 3 months onwards
Skills and Workforce Access DfE Encourage and increase take-up of skills initiatives and employer investment e.g., apprenticeships, bootcamps etc. Improved delivery of Freeport skills programmes Next 6 months onwards
Skills and Workforce Access DfE Broker engagement with Mayoral Combined Authorities (as a funder of skills provision) and Employer Representative Bodies Improved delivery of Freeport skills programmes Next 6 months
Skills and Workforce Access DfE Raise the profile of Freeports with relevant provider sector bodies Improved delivery of Freeport skills programmes Next 3 months
Skills and Workforce Access DfE Raise awareness of Freeports to raise opportunities available, working with National Careers Service Prime Contractors and help facilitate teach-ins for careers practitioners Improved delivery of Freeport skills programmes Next 6 months
Skills and Workforce Access DWP Link Jobcentre Plus with local Freeports to ensure vacancies that could be made available to local jobseekers are identified Improved job opportunities for local people Next 3 months
Skills and Workforce Access DWP Ensure Freeports form part of Job Centre Plus Work Coaches’ conversations with claimants Improved job opportunities for local people Next 3 months
Skills and Workforce Access DWP Utilise local Job Fairs, create bespoke Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes and use DWP’s Youth Hub Network Improved job opportunities for local people Next 6 months onwards
Innovation DSIT Confirm mechanism for ensuring the design and implementation of innovation policy and funding is cognisant of Freeports and Investment Zones Supporting UK innovation clusters Next 6-12 months
Innovation DSIT Explore how DSIT can best support Freeports and Investment Zones as part of future Spending Review planning Supporting UK innovation clusters Next 6-12 months
Innovation DSIT Expand the FREN to support businesses within Investment Zones Increased innovation and investment Next 6 months
Innovation DSIT and DBT Widen the FREN’s scope beyond regulatory innovation and to encompass broader regulatory barriers to business investment Increased innovation and investment Next 6 months
Innovation DSIT Work with other government departments to explore, and develop a plan for implementing, pro-innovation regulatory tools, such as regulatory sandboxes, within Freeports and Investment Zones Increased innovation and investment Next 12 months, specific timelines subject to feasibility of options that may be potentially identified
Innovation HMRC, CO, DSIT and DBT Establish a Freeports Borders Innovation Forum Increased innovation Next 3 months
Decarbonisation DESNZ Provide a direct point of contact for Freeport and Investment Zone enquiries relating to opportunities in the offshore wind sector Supporting Freeport sector opportunities Ongoing
Decarbonisation DESNZ Ensure that investors into CCUS and the emerging low-carbon hydrogen economy are aware of the benefits of Freeports and Investment Zones Increased investment into Freeports Next 6 months
Decarbonisation DESNZ Ensure that the development and delivery of relevant Net Zero policies and funding programmes are cognisant of the opportunities of Freeports and Investment Zones Supporting Freeport sector opportunities Ongoing
Programme Delivery DLUHC Unify investor-facing messaging and branding across the Freeports and Investment Zone programmes Increased investor clarity Ongoing
Programme Delivery DLUHC Create an Independent Advisory Panel within the Freeport programme’s governance Increased business voice within the programme Next 4 months
Programme Delivery DLUHC Review monitoring and evaluation requirements on Freeports to ensure they are proportionate and coordinated Reduced administrative pressures on Freeports Next 4 months

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Published 19 December 2023

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