MEMBER News
South Director Iain Kirtley
SOUTH
What are you working on in the South region? As well as supporting upcoming meetings for the two area boards that cover the region, namely South West and Southern Counties, I’m working with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) on a joint event. I will also be part of the FMB team at the South West Homebuilding & Renovating Show in Somerset on 16-17 November, along with members who are volunteering their time and expertise. Those who have supported shows in the past always note how enjoyable and beneficial they are. On a scale of 1-10, how optimistic are you about the immediate future of the UK’s construction industry? Seven out of 10. Can you please elaborate? The recent change in the government has given some optimism, especially around housebuilding, but there is more to be done on planning reform, skills and training if we’re to meet the challenges our industry faces. Based on your knowledge of your region’s members, what would you say is their most pressing concern at the moment? Planning issues, including delays in projects getting signed off are things I hear about a lot. There are also challenges around client budget expectations of what can
Meet Iain Kirtley, FMB South Director
members and to help shape local training offers.
be achieved, sometimes due to out-of- date costs provided by architects as well as inflationary pressures. There are also ongoing issues for members around skills and labour, something which is unfortunately a common issue across the UK. What is the FMB doing to help mitigate those concerns? Ahead of July’s general election, we launched our Builders’ Manifesto: Growth from the ground up , which highlighted how the government should support builders on key issues including around planning, skills and training. Locally, I’m working with training providers and industry stakeholders to promote skills and training opportunities for our
Getting to know you Cheese or chocolate? Chocolate. I’m a big fan of Nestlé Crunch bars and Toblerone. Dog or cat? Dog. We have a goldie-cross- lab named Maggie. First car owned? Peugeot 205, which had a one-litre engine, but I pretended it was a GTi! The insurance cost more than the car. Favourite film? Any Christoper Nolan films. I particularly enjoyed ‘Inception’ and ‘Dunkirk’. Favourite holiday spot? New Forest and the Hampshire coast. Have you been a client of an FMB member? We just moved house and there are things we’d like to do so I’ll be posting jobs on Find A Builder soon.
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