Operation Stack has been my top priority in recent weeks; I’ve been doing all I can to get an immediate change to how Operation Stack is managed as well as every possible effort made to resolve the situation in France.
Over the last six weeks Operation Stack has been implemented seven times, with the M20 coast bound closed for 27 days. The situation is untenable. People living in the villages along the M20 have told me they feel marooned in their homes. At rush hour, particularly if there’s the slightest incident, drivers are stuck in traffic jams for hours. Visiting Maidstone Hospital, I heard about midwives whose journeys to work are taking two or three hours instead of their usual twenty minutes. I have had letters from businesses unable to pay wages because customers have stopped coming. Leeds Castle has seen a huge hit on its visitor numbers during its peak season. Mourners have missed funerals. Ambulances have been struggling to get to urgent call outs, with one child waiting an hour and a half with a serious injury. Pregnant women are worrying how they will get to the hospital in time when they go into labour. I could go on, but I suspect almost everyone reading this knows how bad the situation has been.
Working together with other Kent MPs, I have called on the Home Secretary, the Secretary of State for Transport, Transport Ministers and Highways England to do three things: firstly, bring into effect an immediate alternative to the current version of Operation Stack, to avoid turning the whole of the M20 across Mid Kent into a lorry park; secondly, resolve the problems in Calais and Coquelles, where a combination of strikers occupying ferries and migrants are causing the disruption; thirdly, fund and support Kent Police, Social Services and all the other agencies having to cope with the pressures of Stack and the high numbers of migrants. In parallel, I have been urging Ministers and others to think ahead, and be ready to invest properly in Kent’s infrastructure and develop resilience so that when there is another situation like this in the future, we won’t see Kent brought to a standstill.
Your letters and emails have been invaluable for these conversations, as they have provided me with evidence and ‘real life stories’ to tell Highways England and Government Ministers, making the case for how desperately we need action. I’ve also been able to draw from the many ideas proposed to me during the discussions about how to solve Operation Stack.
Last week I joined the Minister for Transport, Andrew Jones, along with Highways England, Kent Police, Kent County Council and other Kent MPs for an urgent meeting in Maidstone. Representatives from the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel were also present. During that meeting, Highways England proposed several short term adjustments to improve Operation Stack, such as better communications and signage, along with more work to enforce Operation Stack for lorries and stop the 20-30 per cent of lorries that attempt to bypass it. Along with other Kent MPs, I made clear that this was not enough. We insisted off-motorway holding areas such as Manston Airport and Ebbsfleet should be considered in the short term, and pressed Highways England to look again at introducing a contraflow on the M20. Highways England confirmed this was used in 2005, but resulted in long queues and was called off when the motorway hard shoulder began to collapse. The meeting concluded with the Transport Minister giving Highways England ‘a matter of days’ to come up with an alternative to Operation Stack that would enable a 2-way flow on the M20.
Yesterday, I received a call directly from the Transport Minister to let me know the news that Manston Airfield will be used as part of Operation Stack in future. I welcome this decision, even though it is controversial. There is significant opposition from people living around Manston and concern about the impact on the M2 – which also runs through my constituency and is already a very busy road. But continuing with Operation Stack entirely on the M20 is not an option, it’s had such a terrible impact on everyone living and working along that route. There are very few places which can take the weight of 44 tonne lorries, so other suggestions like Folkestone Racecourse and Kent County Showground have also been ruled out. Highways England needs to try something different and Manston looks like the best option in the short term.
I have spoken to Highways England about the potential for problems on the M2 and junctions like Brenley Corner just outside Faversham. They have assured me they will bring on Manston capacity gradually and will monitor the situation on the M2. Drivers will be advised to keep a close eye on the electronic signs which will be used for ‘dynamic’ traffic management. I have also asked again about the contraflow option. As yet there’s no firm plan on this, as it is so difficult to do safely – according to Highways England, long contraflows generally have concrete barriers not just cones, and they expect they will have to stop non-stack traffic at junctions to allow the flow of Stack traffic periodically. This could cause even worse traffic jams, as they found happened in 2005. They are going to keep me updated on this and I’m continuing to press them to work out some way to keep the M20 two-way when Stack is on.
I have also made two visits to Kent Police to find out how they are coping and what help they would value from me. They have been managing, but the duration of Operation Stack has been taking its toll. The cost to Kent Police has been estimated at around £1m, and there’s the extra work not only running Operation Stack but also dealing with extra immigrants, some of whom have suffered terrible injuries along with several fatalities. With staff working extended shifts day after day, they are now having to call on neighbouring police forces for extra manpower. The police told me they value the backing of Kent MPs to make sure they get extra funding from the Government, along with the efforts we’re making to get a solution.
Last weekend I also contacted the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills to make sure he is fully aware of the effects Operation Stack is having on businesses. While everyone is aware of the impact of Stack on the haulage industry, I was concerned the impact on the many businesses in this area had been overlooked. The cost to the Kent economy has been estimated at £1.5m/day. I have called on the Secretary of State for Business to lend his weight to the pressure for an alternative to Stack, and to advise me on what financial support or compensation might be available for local businesses.
As you will probably know from the national news, the Government has been working to get the situation in France resolved. The Home Secretary has had multiple meetings with officials in France pressing them to take effective action, and the Prime Minister has similarly spoken to the Francois Hollande, the French President. The Government has committed £19m to improving security there and has supplied miles and miles of high security fencing. On home turf, The Prime Minister chaired a Cobra meeting last week specifically about the problems in Calais and the effects this is having on Kent. Following the meeting, the Prime Minister said: To help hauliers and the people of Kent we will do all we can to get the queues moving. Sorting this situation out is an absolute priority.” While we are all incredibly frustrated that the French don’t seem to have a grip on their strikers or on migrant security, we have to work together and solve the problem with them.
This summer has been incredibly frustrating for all of us affected by Operation Stack. Part of this frustration is that people in Kent have been calling for a better solution for years. This may be little consolation, but one consequence of all that we’ve been through this summer is that no one doubts the serious infrastructure investment needed to avoid this ever happening again. It is now recognised as a national problem, not just Kent’s problem.
I will continue to do everything I can, both for a better way of managing the situation this summer and for the longer term. Do please continue to write to me to let me know how Operation Stack is affecting you and to give me your suggestions.