​Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery welcomes backing from former Ministers Tracey Crouch MP and Sir Mike Penning MP

Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery welcomes backing from former Ministers Tracey Crouch MP and Sir Mike Penning MP - 07/11/2018

The Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery, set up by recovery industry Richard Goddard, Dave Gregory, and Andy Lambert of the Recovery Industry Support Charity (RISC), - today welcomed the support of former Roads Minister Sir Mike Penning MP and former Sport and Civil Society Minister Tracey Crouch MP.

Speaking in Parliament for the first time since resigning last week, the former Sport and Civil Society Minster highlighted the dangers facing those who work in the recovery industry and voiced her support for the Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery (CSRRR), singling out the case of her constituent Sam Cockerill, whose life had been turned upside down when her partner was killed while recovering a vehicle on the side of the M25 last September.

The campaign also received the backing of former Roads Minister Sir Mike Penning MP, who has agreed to support the industry through the creation of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Roadside Rescue and Recovery which will provide the industry a channel through which to voice its concerns on safety and other issues.

Commenting, Sir Mike Penning MP said,

“As a previous Road’s Minister, and as a motorist, I know just what a vital contribution the roadside rescue & recovery industry makes to individual road users when they are in trouble and to the overall economy. I am particularly aware of the independent recovery operators, usually small and medium sized businesses, that are the backbone of the industry.

“The big motoring organisations might sell the vast majority of breakdown and recovery policies and have the high-profile advertising campaigns, but it’s these independent operators that do the bulk of the work. They have a right to operate in a safe environment, and their staff have the right to expect to go home safe and well after a shift. They tend to be the ‘unsung heroes’ and have not had the profile in Westminster and Whitehall that they deserve. I was delighted to be approached to help form an APPG to act as a forum to raise the industry’s concerns in Parliament. I know that there is a strong desire for greater use of Red Lights, for more support from the Police and Highways agency in terms of lane closures, more safety measures on All Lane Running motorways and for greater public education to ‘Slow Down, Move Over’ when passing recovery incidents”

Andy Lambert, Chairman of RISC and a spokesperson for the Campaign for Safer Roadside Rescue and Recovery (CSRRR), welcomed the backing, commenting that:

“The Campaign is incredibly grateful for the support of these two leading former Government Ministers and principled politicians. It is high time the Government listened to the voices of those in the recovery industry which for so long gone unnoticed. With these influential parliamentarians on board, the industry is that much closer to achieving the recognition it deserves.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. Tracey Crouch MP (Conservative, Chatham and X) served as Sport and Civil Society Minister between May 2015 and 1^st November 2018. She resigned last week following the Government’s decision to announce a delay in the reduction of the maximum stake of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals.
2. Her speech during the debate can be read - https://www.facebook.com/TraceyCrouchofficial/posts/1370389613098018?__tn__=K-R
3. Sir Mike Penning MP was a Transport Minister, with responsibility for roads between 2010 and 2012.
4. Sam details the particulars of her experience in a video on the campaigns website: https://www.csrrr.co.uk/