THE WORD AT WESTMINSTER
Housing Secretary Steve Reed
Licence to Build: Where are we now? You can read more about our ‘Licence to Build’ campaign on page 15, but a quick summary is that we are progressing well. Big wins for the campaign include: ● media coverage in The Sun and The Mirror , and on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours ; ● backing for licensing, particularly retrofit work, by the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee; and ● the FMB becoming a member of the Retrofit Reform Advisory Panel, chaired by the Energy Consumer Minister, to promote licensing as a solution to problematic retrofit installation under the government scheme to upgrade homes. The FMB also formed part of the leadership team to oversee the government’s inquiry into flood prevention measures. One of the issues raised in the final report was the competence of builders carrying out flood-prevention measures and the need for a licensing to set a minimum competence level. To support all of this work, we’ve conducted important research throughout the 2025. We teamed up with the Homeowners Alliance and found 45 per cent of UK homeowners wrongly believe that builders are licensed, plus plenty more, all of which you can find on the website. Further to this we asked 2000 members of the public about their experiences with dodgy builders, and we found that a staggering £14.3 billion was paid to rogues over a five-year period. This was all money that could have gone to reputable tradespeople. Rounding off the year, Conservative MP Mark Garnier – a long-time backer of mandatory licensing – will, by the time you’re reading this, have hosted a debate on the issue in Westminster Hall. The focus being on how licensing would prevent cowboy builders while gathering MPs from across the spectrum. Clearly momentum grows, as does the pressure on the government to introduce licensing. We’ll continue to push into 2026.
The FMB attended three major UK political party conferences, and this year was one of the busiest yet, says Head of External Affairs Jeremy Gray A t the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, housing was central to the agenda. Housing Secretary Steve Reed (pictured), Labour MPs including Pam Cox, Chris Curtis, Noah Law, and Alison Hume discussing barriers to building and the need for practical guidance. WHAT’S UP AT WESTMINSTER?
The Conservative Party Conference in Manchester was quieter than usual, but the FMB made its mark. Chief Executive Brian Berry spoke at a packed National House Building Council (NHBC) fringe event with Shadow Housing Secretary Sir James Cleverly MP, where a water leak sparked a lively debate about the need for licensed tradespeople. Housing topped the agenda at the Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth. The FMB joined an NHBC panel to champion small housebuilders. Housing and competency were repeated at all of the party conferences.
clad in hard hat and high vis, announced Labour’s plans to ‘Build, Baby Build’ – an interesting choice of phrase borrowed from U.S. President Donald Trump. Licensing domestic building companies was a hot topic at our panel with SME4Labour, chaired by Sarah Edwards MP and supported by Bill Esterson MP, Chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee. We raised the issue again at an event hosted by the Electrotechnical Joint Industry Board and Baroness Wendy Alexander. Planning issues and housing delivery formed part of our agenda with
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Master Builder
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