FMB publishes construction priorities ahead of election campaigns

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has recently published its ‘Programme for Government’ in which it details 11 areas of priority in which the government should taken extra consideration ahead of the formulation of General Election campaigns and Brexit strategies.

At the top of this list of priorities, the FMB identifies housing as the most pressing issue to be, stating that the government should commit to: making house building a national infrastructure priority, building 1.5M new homes, freeing up more public land for housing, breaking land up into small plots for small builders, and investing in local authority planning departments to speed up the planning process

In relation to skills, however, the FMB prioritised: promoting vocational education, investing in Further Education, reform the UK Apprenticeship Levy so it works better for small companies, and introducing a fair and balanced post-Brexit immigration system.

Comparatively, in regard to sustainability, it highlighted: creating a National Retrofit Strategy, investing in upskilling builders to build and upgrade homes fit for the future, and cutting VAT on home improvement work to 5 per cent.

And finally, taking into account quality measures, it was suggested that the government should: licence all UK construction companies, introduce mandatory warranties for building control-approved work, and create a new ‘General Builder’ qualification.

The Chief Executive of the FMB, Brian Berry stated: “In this Brexit election the main political parties mustn’t lose sight of the big issues facing the UK such as the current housing crisis.

“We are still not building enough new homes, and this has led to an affordability crisis and over-crowding. This election is an opportunity for all parties to publish ambitious plans to turn this situation around.

“Small builders stand ready to help the new Government not only to build more new homes but also make our existing homes more energy efficient.

“Small building companies will also be instrumental in helping the future government tackle other major challenges facing the UK, from helping to tackle the climate crisis to helping to building the hospitals and schools of the future.

“Our Programme for Government gives 12 clear policies for each of the political parties to adopt to support SME builders. Politicians must not only give the country the gift of resolving Brexit this Christmas, but also a vision for the future of our built environment.”

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