Time to rethink supply chains

From: Chas Ball, Huddersfield.

IF our supply chains are “too lean” and are not resilient, we are vulnerable to panic buying or global disruption (‘How to break the shackles of supply chains’, Kamran Mahroof, The Yorkshire Post, April 29).

There are advantages in “removing dependency on geographically dispersed suppliers and build capacity at home”. I agree we should be putting more emphasis on local sourcing and encouraging manufacturing “closer to home”.

Dr Mahroof says that “shifting from global to local is a step in the right direction to counter logistics challenges”, but the relentless expansion of Amazon seems to suggest that consumers are unaware of the environmental effects of their online purchasing. What else can be driving the current plans for massive new warehouses and fulfilment centres in North, East and West Yorkshire?

A warehouse is planned close to Chain Bar motorway junction where the M62/M606/A58/ A638 all meet, near Cleckheaton in West Yorkshire. It is already heavily congested and will also have to accommodate traffic from other new warehousing being built by the M606 and new housing developments.

If Kirklees Council grants planning permission, we will see hundreds of additional vehicle movements day and night, including HGVs, creating even more stationary traffic on the roads to Junction 26.

But spare a thought for the people living in the area around Chain Bar, especially children in the nearby schools. This location is already over the WHO limits for the three most harmful pollutants – NOx, PM10s and PM2.5 (check this online at www. addresspollution.org).

Perhaps we should ask drivers stuck in the queues if they are Amazon customers or are they supporting local suppliers? Now is the time to object to this development and change our shopping habits at the same time.