Welcome BRIAN BERRY
T he FMB General Election Manifesto, ‘Growth from the ground up’, outlines five main policy areas to help our industry thrive and support the UK’s economic recovery. First is the urgent need to boost housing supply. We aren’t building enough homes to meet demand. More concerning is the percentage of all new homes built by local house builders continuing to fall, with just 10 per cent of new homes
‘Growth from the ground up’ outlines policy areas to help our industry thrive and support the UK’s economic recovery
Government and not hindered by it. To this end we are calling on the new government to cut the rate of VAT. You can read more about the FMB manifesto on pages 12-13. Most members join the FMB for credibility, which helps secure work and better contracts. Having a highly visible profile is important for any business but especially now as consumers cut back as a result of the cost-of- living crisis. On pages 26-28, two new associate members explain how professional photography and drone footage can boost your branding and your Finder Builder profile. Having the right contract in place is also essential, which is why the FMB offers members a free suite of contracts. On pages 20-21, Director of Membership Services Hayley Lorimer explains what changes to the contracts mean to you. At a time of ongoing skills shortages and in particular too few women in our industry, we need to be doing more about equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) to attract more people into the building industry. Amos Simbo from the BPIC Network explains on pages 24-25 why we should not shy away from conversations about EDI. Wishing you all a very happy summer!
built by SME contractors. The FMB is asking for a
dedicated Secretary of State for Housing and dedicated planning resources to help small house builders navigate a complex and underfunded planning system. It’s not just about building new homes, we also need to maintain those we have, which is why the FMB is calling for a long-term strategy to retrofit the UK’s existing housing stock. None of this will be possible, however, without sufficient labour and skills, so the FMB is calling for a skills plan to set out long-term delivery. Coupled with our call for support and training for builders, we want the new government to introduce a licensing scheme for construction companies. As it stands, a builder can produce dangerous or shoddy work and there is no easy method of penalising them or seeking compensation. Given the fallout from Grenfell this can’t be right and needs to be rectified.
BRIAN BERRY, Chief Executive Federation of Master Builders
Finally, our industry needs a business environment that is actively supported by the
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Master Builder
www.fmb.org.uk
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