Petition Transparency and Review of the free zones and ports impacts

Government responded

This response was given on 28 November 2025

All Industrial Strategy Zones (ISZs) are subject to the same laws and regulations as the rest of the UK. The Government maintains the highest levels of transparency and accountability across all ISZs.

This Government is wholly committed to transparency and public accountability in all aspects of economic policy - including our programme of Industrial Strategy Zones (ISZs), the collective term now used for Freeports and Investment Zones. All ISZs operate within the same regulatory frameworks that apply across the UK and are subject to the same laws and standards as elsewhere in the country.

We have cemented this position through the ISZs Action Plan (2025), which set out further measures to strengthen transparency and democratic accountability across the ISZ programme. At present, arrangements for transparency, accountability and governance at all Investment Zones and a number of English Freeports are overseen by the relevant Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA). As we roll out devolution across England, all remaining English Freeports will adopt similar arrangements.

Your petition makes two asks, which we will respond to in turn.

1. Release data on governance, funding and operations of free zones

The Government has published two Freeport Programme Reports, which detail retrospective information on how Freeports were set up, the seed capital funding they receive and progress so far in terms of the sites developed, investment attracted and money invested. These are available on GOV.UK (UK Freeports Programme Report 2025 - GOV.UK; UK Freeports Programme Annual Report 2022 - GOV.UK).

Some key findings from the 2025 Report:

• £157.93m has been disbursed across 39 projects to-date and £6.4bn in private investment has been attracted.

• 89% of the investment attracted to date has been foreign direct investment, and is therefore less likely to have been displaced from within the UK.

On governance, Investment Zones are each currently governed by their respective MSA, so it is ultimately that body which is accountable. With respect to Freeports, each of these have a named local or combined authority which acts as accountable body, ensuring the transparent functioning of the Freeport and the proper management of public funding. Our ISZ Action Plan, goes further to strengthen the accountability of these arrangements, requiring:

• MSAs are integrated into the governance structures of Freeports, ensuring elected local leaders have oversight and that MSAs become the accountable body for all ISZs in England. This is already the case at Teesside and Liverpool City Region Freeports

• Freeport Boards publish minutes of all meetings

• Freeport Boards hold at least one public meeting annually

• Trade Union representation on all Freeport Boards in England and Wales, mirroring effective worker voice already in place in Scottish Green Freeports

The Government will continue to support all ISZs to bring these new accountability arrangements into play.

2. A public review to assess impacts, such as job displacement and value for taxpayers money

At present, we do not believe a further independent review is required. In addition to the two Programme Reports we have published, the Business and Trade Select Committee recently undertook a comprehensive inquiry into the performance and governance of Investment Zones and Freeports in England, to which the Government provided both written and oral evidence. (The performance of investment zones and freeports in England - Committees - UK Parliament). The Government subsequently incorporated many of their recommendations into the ISZ Action Plan.

The Freeport Programme is subject to other layers of public scrutiny, the findings of which will be made publicly available in due course:

• Inclusion within the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), ensuring regular review by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), published annually on GOV.UK (Major projects data - GOV.UK).

• A planned Value for Money evaluation, to occur in due course after sufficient time has passed for programme impacts to materialise.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that ISZs deliver genuinely additional economic benefits rather than displacing existing activity. This is why lessons from previous programmes, such as Enterprise Zones, have informed Freeports and Investment Zones' design. For example, Employer NIC relief applying only to new employees, and that the programmes prioritise foreign direct investment and emerging sectors.

Independent analysis from Arup projected that the eight English Freeports could create around 60,000 net new jobs and support an additional 42,000 jobs across supply chains, contributing approximately £6.6bn per year in GVA. This analysis is being further refined by Cambridge Econometrics and the Government is considering options for publication.

The Government remains committed to publishing evaluation findings and programme data at regular intervals. Transparency and accountability will continue to underpin the ISZ approach as we seek to deliver sustainable growth, attract investment, and secure long-term value for the taxpayer.

Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government