Scrappage Scheme Extension in UK likely

The UK Scrappage Scheme looks set to be extended today, according to latest press reports. The £300 million originally attributed to the scheme has all but run out with the new 59 plate rush fuelling extra registrations of small, cheap to run cars.

Business Secretary Peter Mandelson is set to announce the welcome boost that industry bodies have been lobbying for in the last few months. The UK motor industry employs around 850,000 people according to the SMMT, and with car production lower now than for years, it is felt that more jobs will be at risk if the momentum generated by the scheme is lost.

New car registrations have increased in the last two months, but are still significantly below the levels of 2007, when 2.4 million new cars were registered in the UK.

Governments in the United States and Germany have given much higher levels of financial support than the UK, with 3 billion US Dollars and 5 billion Euros respectively set aside to promote the scheme. In Germany the scheme resulted in 2 million registrations.

The UK government is expected to take the total amount of money available to £500 million, an increase of £200 million.

By Terry Hogan