The largest independent vehicle management company in the UK
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The fleet agenda has not changed as a result of Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling’s ‘giveaway’ Pre-Budget Report, according to Geoffrey Bray, chairman of Fleet Support Group.
Mr Bray, who heads Britain’s largest independent fleet management company with more than 50,000 vehicles on its books, said: “There was a bit of tinkering and the introduction of short-term fixes, but nothing that will restore confidence to the level required to make a real difference.”
The main Pre-Budget Report announcements impacting on the fleet industry were:
“The politicians and civil servants who come up with ideas have, in the main, never run a real business,” said Mr Bray. “Business leaders need to take a long-term view and putting in short-term fixes, such as the VAT cut, will make no real difference.
“Businesses want stability and long-term planning cycles. Following the Pre-Budget Report, the vast majority of companies and their employees continue to remain concerned about exactly the same issues as they were in the run-up to the Chancellor’s statement.
“Confidence among businesses and consumers is low and employees are wondering if they will have a job tomorrow or the day after. Those concerns have not changed following the Pre-Budget Report.”
Mr Bray concluded: “As a result of the banking crisis, debt remains the enemy of businesses and consumers. A lack of confidence is deeply embedded in organisations and the public. The Chancellor’s measures will not alleviate that feeling.
“Therefore, the fleet focus must remain on cost reduction, with low emission, fuel-sipping vehicles to the fore. But that is a policy that should be embedded in all businesses by now, as we have promoted it for a very long time.”
Fleet Support Group (FSG) is the largest independent vehicle management company in the UK and looks after approximately 50,000 vehicles.
The well-established organisation based in Chippenham, Wiltshire, has gained an enviable reputation within the industry by continually concentrating on delivering a consistent, quality service embracing full vehicle acquisition and disposal, vehicle outsourcing, fleet management, risk management and work-related road safety, maintenance management, accident management, breakdown recovery, short-term car rental and truck management.
Within the FSG team, there is significant industry experience and qualifications across the range of services provided. This in turn is supported by an in-house IT operation which is continuously upgrading the internal systems and applications to ensure that, by innovation and product development, FSG leads the field in the provision of vehicle management.