YOUR FMB AREA BOARD MEMBERS
S peaking with FMB is a bit like listening to acceptance speeches at the Oscars. You tend to hear the same answer. But unlike the Oscars, there is a clear sincerity in members’ responses. Fundamentally, they want to give back to the FMB and the profession. They want to play their part in bringing positive change to the industry. Giving back was certainly what motivated Paul Collings of PC Builders Ltd in Devon. He became an FMB member in the early 1990s but it wasn’t until 2015 that he joined his area board – the same year that his company won a members about why they joined their local area board Master Builder Award in the large renovations category. Tackling the sector’s big issues Collings believes his role with the area board will help him tackle some of the issues that he considers most pertinent to members. He has two main focuses, with the first being his desire to see more construction employers hire full-time employees rather than contractors. “I’m a big advocate of employing people as opposed to them being self-employed. But most builders seem to employ almost everybody on this self- employed basis.” His second focus is on having the Government reduce VAT on retrofit projects, which the FMB has been working on for some time now. Collings says: “I just feel if the Government wants everybody to renovate their houses and increase the insulation
Gareth Daniel
Paul Collings
The FMB has 10 area boards, each made up of 14 members who share experience and knowledge to best support fellow members. Here, we meet Paul Collings and Gareth Daniel, who are both from the South West IN YOUR AREA
regard for quality, safety and the client. A mandatory licensing scheme, which the FMB continually campaigns for, would do a lot to rid the industry of these rogue contractors. “During the conversation about licensing I felt a desire to promote this,” says Daniel. “I also wanted to raise the profile of the FMB. I felt and still feel strongly about this, so I spoke with the board about joining and they were very welcoming.”
construction industry. As many readers will be aware already, anybody can set up a construction company in the UK. Unfortunately, some of these people aren’t fully
levels, then there has to be an incentive of some sort – either zero VAT or a reduction.” Gareth Daniel at Gareth Daniel Building Ltd in Dorset, was galvanised to join his area board after speaking about creating a mandatory licensing scheme for the UK
trained and deemed ‘cowboys’, with little
38 Master Builder
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