NEWS IN NUMBERS
Greg Smith MP (left) meets with Van Watch founder Ray Stafford at Westminster to discuss how his Bill can help protect tradespeople from tool thieves.
£19.21bn The estimated UK construction market size in 2023 , after an anticipated recovery of 2.8%. Source: Sirius Property Finance
New tool theft law for England and Wales The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill has passed through the House of Commons and is expected to be signed into law by the King later this year. The new law in England and Wales will require that technologically- enabled security features be applied to frequently stolen tools and equipment to make it harder for thieves to sell stolen goods. Manufacturers and resellers of high- value tools will need their products to be marked, registered, and traceable if stolen, reducing the likelihood of thieves selling stolen tools. Forensic marking also helps police with prosecutions and increases convictions. Speaking in the House of Commons, Greg Smith MP said: “They are not stealing power tools to do some The Retrofit Academy enrols 5,000th learner
DIY at home. They are stealing that equipment to sell and monetise it and if they cannot do so because of forensic marking, they will not steal it in the first place.” Ray Stafford, Founder of anti-tool theft campaign Van Watch, said: “Disrupting the business model of tool crime is a critical step forward, and we welcome both Greg’s Bill and the Police Minister's commitment to provide police manpower to enforce it. We call upon Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to ensure that the Minister's words are backed by action. “We hope that individual tradespeople and the organisations representing them will respond to the consultation and make it clear that they back the Bill. We also call upon tool manufacturers and resellers to engage constructively with the Home Office and play their part in bearing down on this crime that so plagues their customers.”
14% Increase in self-employment in UK construction in recent months – the steepest climb in 15 years. Source: ONS
“Decarbonising millions of existing homes is vital if we are to fulfil the Government’s aim of achieving net zero by 2050. To ensure this goal is reached, we need to collaborate and work together to have enough qualified personnel to carry out retrofit at scale. “While we’re pleased to have passed the milestone of enrolling 5,000 professionals to be trained as skilled and qualified retrofitters, work is well underway to ensure we reach our goal of 200,000 by the end of the decade. By continuing as the driving force in retrofit knowledge and skills, we can help to achieve net zero.”
The Retrofit Academy has enrolled more than 5,000 learners to its range of retrofit training courses to qualify as retrofit advisors, assessors and coordinators. The qualified retrofitters, who have opportunities to work with or for local authorities, housing associations and their contractors, specify and install additional energy-efficiency measures that were not included in a building’s design. The Retrofit Academy aims to train half of the 400,000 qualified retrofitters the UK needs to carry out retrofit works in homes to achieve net zero by 2050. David Pierpoint, Chief Executive at The Retrofit Academy, explained:
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