Civil servants and government departments tend not to be massively popular, but I have heard a few people lately having a bigger than usual pop at the UK government for a perceived lack of dynamism when it comes to supporting the UK manufacturing sector, and especially the UK’s automotive supplier sector.

There are complaints about bureaucracy and about the problems in getting funding to flow from the Automotive Assistance Programme (AAP). That’s been getting louder for a while now and the frustration is building. Maybe the political timetable, with a general election due soon, isn’t helping, but you can understand why people look at the bank bailouts with billions of taxpayers’ money signed away in a matter of days and wonder why manufacturing seems to get lip service and not much else.

My attention has also been drawn to a report on the BERR website which was published eighteen months ago and has allegedly ‘sunk without trace’ – apart from the setting up of another talking shop with a big title and an awkward acronym – New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team (NAIGT). The pressure is on for the NAIGT to actually be seen to be doing something that makes a difference. 

REPORT ON THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT FOR JAPANESE AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLY COMPANIES IN THE UK