FMB members Daniel Bowden (left) from Bridge Construction North West
L to R: Iain Kirtley, MEMBER News (UK Pro-Build Ltd) and Nicola de Sousa .
Ltd & Martin Boardman (right) MWB Residence Ltd pictured at
Glenn Harding (Harding Building & Groundworks Ltd), Charles OKell
Wigan & Leigh College
& C-TEC,
SCOTLAND
A Builders’ Breakfast is coming to you soon
Since last autumn, FMB Scotland has hosted three Builders’ Breakfasts for members, one of which was in partnership with the Royal Incorporation of Architects Scotland (RIAS) in their office in Edinburgh, and the first of 2026 at Jewson, Kilmarnock. FMB member Martin Sneddon (pictured below) who helped to organise the breakfast in Kilmarnock said: “Running a local building company can be stressful, so hat’s off to the FMB for setting up the Builders’ Breakfasts where we can chat over coffee and bacon rolls, share solutions to problems and make connections.” Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh are the most likely locations for the next three breakfasts. If you would like to host or can suggest a good venue in your area, get in touch with Gordon Nelson using the contact details below.
(l-r) Ben Macpherson MSP, Gordon Nelson Brian Berry, Pam Wilson, Neil Freshwater of Velux and Monica Lennon MSP
SCOTLAND
Scottish Parliament reception a success
SCOTLAND
Budget, bills and building safety
● skills – invest in training and apprenticeships to grow a skilled workforce for the future; ● standards and licensing – introduce mandatory licensing scheme to raise standards and protect consumers; ● retrofit and energy efficiency – deliver a national retrofit strategy to upgrade Scotland’s existing homes and cut carbon emissions; ● planning and housebuilding – reform Scotland’s planning system to make it easier for SME builders to deliver high-quality homes; and ● public sector contracts – make procurement fairer and more accessible to smaller firms.
Late last year, the FMB held its first reception at the Scottish Parliament, aimed at MSPs, civil servants and industry stakeholders. Host Monica Lennon MSP and Scotland Director Gordon Nelson set the tone of the event and introduced the speakers. FMB CEO Brian Berry outlined why the FMB is proud to support members across all four nations of the UK. Additional speakers included Scottish Government Minister for Further and Higher Education Ben Macpherson MSP and FMB Scotland President Pam Wilson. The FMB introduced its Builders’ Manifesto for Scotland 2026 , which sets out key priorities for micro and SME builders to unlock their potential to grow the Scottish economy over the next five years – with priorities based on members’ experiences and views.
The Scottish budget was announced on 13 January: given print deadlines please find FMB Scotland’s response to key measures on the FMB website. Relevant to many members is the postponement, yet again, of the Heat in Buildings Bill. Unfortunately, there will be a long wait until after the Scottish Parliament elections in May to find out if this bill will be introduced again. The bill has the potential to generate work for many FMB members in upgrading homes and buildings to help Scotland achieve its climate change targets. Of temporary relief to members who are developers, the Scottish Building Safety Levy has been deferred until April 2027. At least that is one new national devolved tax that won’t come into effect in 2026. Finally, if you want to find out government bills and policies that affect builders, including the Scottish Passivhaus equivalent standard, please contact Director Gordon Nelson using the details below.
Scan the QR code
for the Builders’ Manifesto for Scotland 2026 .
CONTACT ● Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director Email: gordonnelson@fmb.org.uk | Call: 07769 687 232
44 Master Builder
www.fmb.org.uk
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting