www.bifa.org


Robert Keen’s Column


BIFAlink


BIFAlink is the official magazine of the British International Freight Association Redfern House, Browells Lane, Feltham TW13 7EP Tel: 020 8844 2266 Web site: www.bifa.org E-mail: bifa@bifa.org (A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: 391973. VAT Registration: 216476363)


Director General Robert Keen r.keen@bifa.org Executive Director Robert Windsor r.windsor@bifa.org Executive Director Spencer Stevenson s.stevenson@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor Mike Jones m.jones@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor Pawel Jarza p.jarza@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor David Stroud d.stroud@bifa.org Training Development Manager Carl Hobbis c.hobbis@bifa.org Editorial Co-ordinator Sharon Hammond s.hammond@bifa.org


Published by Park Lane Publishing peter@parklanepublishingltd.com Contributors Robert Keen, Robert Windsor, Mike Jones, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Sharon Hammond, Pawel Jarza


Regional Consultants to BIFA Scotland and the Borders Len Hobbs: bifa.scot@gmail.com Northern Ireland Carson McMullan: carsonconluce@aol.com Midlands and the North Paul Young: youngyes@aol.com London West and the South West Mike Jones: m.jones@bifa.org


Anglia, London East and the South East Paul Newman: paul@pnauk.com


Please be advised that BIFA DOES NOT OFFER LEGAL ADVICE. BIFA is not a law firm and the authors of this publication are not legally qualified and do not have any legal training. The guidance and assistance set out herein are based on BIFA’s own experience with the issues concerned and should not be in any circumstances regarded or relied upon as legal advice. It is strongly recommended that anyone considering further action based on the information contained in this publication should seek the advice of a qualified professional.


December 2019


The team effort behind ‘lifetime award’


It is a bit embarrassing to be on the front cover of BIFAlink but having won the Lloyd’s Global Freight Awards Lifetime Contribution to Freight, the team would not let me be modest. Often at awards presentations the recipient acknowledges that he or she is just the figurehead for the efforts of others, and it is true in this instance as, so far as I am concerned, the whole BIFA team are the winners. Anything we achieve is a collective effort, so although I collected the award it is my colleagues who share it with me. And what a year 2019 has turned out to be for your Association. For me, the greatest


achievement of 2019 has been to get the Young Forwarder Network (YFN) established in some parts of the UK. I have long thought that the decision to close the Institute of Freight Professionals was flawed and I know some of those involved in the decision


regret it. Times change and a new initiative was needed to reflect the modern workforce and the way BIFA Members now work. With the YFN, we hope to develop an affinity for the Association from the grass roots and have the groups driving a personal development agenda themselves rather than the old ‘top down’ approach. As regular readers will be aware, we must have the involvement of more employers to grow the YFN, otherwise the initiative could flounder. Skills development is another topic where we are pleased with the outcome of the last few years’ work. In a


relatively short period of time we have changed out of all recognition from a broker arranging training courses provided by third parties to a modern training centre with our own qualified staff delivering a huge increase in courses around the UK. In partnership with a group of BIFA Members, we had developed a specific industry- related apprenticeship and government turned to us to assist in developing the online Customs entry course that many of you have enrolled staff on using government grants. The scope of products that we provide has broadened and we are well positioned to increase our offerings as legislation changes post-Brexit and when the replacement for CHIEF (CDS – Customs Declaration Service) comes online. Turning to the roller-coaster ride that is Brexit, my colleagues in our Policy and Compliance department


continue to field calls on all manner of diverse technical enquiries regarding Customs and other procedures. My friend David Wells at the Freight Transport Association summed the position up very well recently saying, “hope for the best and plan for the worst”. Hopefully you have found the preparatory articles we have been publishing useful, but we are still stymied by the indecision and delay. So, a big thank you from me to all the BIFA staff and regional consultants who deliver on our goals, week in


and week out, and the support we receive from the non-executive BIFA directors. I wrote about the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) a few months ago when it announced plans to offer


customs entry processing – and we are still receiving calls from BIFA Members questioning a conflict of interest. It seems that many local chambers will not be promoting the initiative. However, we are in dialogue with the BCC to reflect BIFA Member concerns. In a free market economy anybody is free to start a business offering this service but we are aware many BIFA Members that use a local chamber are making their views known directly. Earlier this year we issued a press release that was critical of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and its


preparations for the development of the Customs Declaration Service (CDS), which is due to replace CHIEF. I am pleased to report that we have held high level talks with HMRC and we are reassured that the project is on track. There will be more information in BIFAlink in the early part of next year. Well, that is it for 2019 and thank you for all the kind comments that I have received. We start all over again in


2020!


Robert Keen Director General


3


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20