Trade through Holyhead port down almost half a billion pounds

Emily Price
A Senedd committee has criticised the Welsh Government’s response to Holyhead’s closure last December after it was revealed that the value of trade going through the port dropped by almost half a billion pounds.
In a report published on Thursday (April 3) the Senedd’s Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee said that Welsh ministers’ poor response was the main factor in the loss of trade.
The major link between north Wales and Dublin experienced a temporary closure in the winter of 2024 due to a storm which caused structural damage to two ferry berths.
Committee members expressed dismay at the “lack of speed and urgency” from Welsh ministers in responding to the closure of Wales’s busiest ferry port.
Following an inquiry and evidence gathering from key organisations the committee has called for a “lessons learned review” for Holyhead to be prepared and resilient in the future.
Losses
Andrew RT Davies MS, Chair of the Senedd’s Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee said: “Holyhead is the UK’s second busiest ferry port and last December’s storm damage, after more than a month of closure, seriously affected some local businesses. We heard of some firms reporting losses of tens of thousands of pounds.
“We are very disappointed by the lack of speed and urgency in the Welsh Government’s response to the closure of a crucial European trade route.
“We have seen limited evidence that the Welsh Government has adequately addressed the issues caused by the closure. It is local action and cooperation between ports that prevented Holyhead’s closure from being even worse for Welsh trade and the wider economy.
“It is clear that the Welsh Government’s response was not acceptable – it was too slow to act and uncoordinated. Many people were left in the dark because communications were not good enough – this must not happen again.
“Ports and freight are vital to our economy and the Welsh Government has ignored these areas for too long. We were promised new policies by last December but this has now been kicked into the long grass until next year – this is not good enough, we need action now.”
Confusion
The committee says it was unclear to key organisations involved in the recovery efforts which minister was responsible for the Welsh Government’s response and that this confusion may have “exacerbated” problems with the reaction to the emergency.
It has recommended that in any similar future large scale and complex incidents the Welsh Government should agree a ministerial lead who will oversee and be held accountable for the management of the response.
Today’s report also highlights a “lack of urgency” in responding to requests to support affected businesses, and a limited understanding of how the closure has impacted the local workforce.
The committee says it wants to see a clearer picture of the effects of job losses and lost working hours on households.
For this, and similar incidents, the Welsh Government should better understand the impact on workers and businesses and urgently decide what financial and other support is available for those affected by any port closures.
Diverted
The committee also says the Welsh Government has shown a lack of attention to both ports and freight over recent years and is concerned about trade being diverted elsewhere.
In 2022, ‘A new direction for HGV Drivers’ report was launched which provided recommendations for the Welsh Government on freight issues, in particular how to address HGV driver shortages and related supply chain issues.
The committee says the Welsh Government should accelerate its work to implement the recommendations in the report and bring forward a maritime and ports strategy and freight plan as a matter of urgency.
On 7 January, the cabinet secretary for transport and north Wales announced the establishment of “a Welsh Government-led multi-stakeholder task-force to develop a new strategy for the future of Holyhead”.
The committee will closely monitor the work of this task-force and says it believes that its objectives should include:
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- Understanding the causes of the events at Holyhead to understand whether there are any implications for the wider ports sector or ports policy;
- Ensuring the future safety of the Port;
- Improving facilities for drivers through Holyhead;
- Assessing the resilience of, and improving transport links, to Holyhead including consideration of rail connections;
- Supporting the long-term viability of the Port and avoiding trade diversion; and
- Ensuring there is a strong contingency plan for any future closure at Holyhead in particular and Welsh ports in general. In particular, this should include traffic management, communications, implementation of alternative maritime routes and support for local businesses.
The Welsh Government will now be asked to respond to the committee’s report.
Following the report’s publication, Ynys Môn MP Llinos Medi said: “The disruption caused by the closure of the Port of Holyhead should have been a wake-up call to the Welsh and UK Governments about the importance of this key strategic trade route, yet they failed to act.
“If this had happened at the Port of Dover, or any airport, we know the response would have been swift and decisive. The long-term economic damage is still being felt, and we need commitments to ensure Holyhead is never left vulnerable like this again.”
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On a small island far away about which we know very little and care less…
Desolation Bay Care Home for political failures…
So a little too much power going astern and hey presto;
Half a billion pounds goes where ?
Heads up their ‘active travel’ cycle paths and wellness hubs…
Parish council minds…
Presumably shareholders will be insured against losses. No responsible business wastes money on resilience and disaster recovery plans. Any wider impact on those that weren’t bothered enough to own a share is not their concern.
This confusion over who’s responsible for decision making was the main problem.
The Welsh government should always have the power over the environment and economy in Wales.
However, this was compromised by the coast still being part of the crown estates, owned and controlled by the UK regime in London.
It was hard to make the decisive decisions required.