FEATURE LICENSING
But some in Government believe that these bodies, with their voluntary members, are sufficient to safeguard standards. That’s why the FMB has been campaigning tirelessly to bring about a national mandatory licensing scheme. It helped set up the Licence UK Construction Task Force in 2019 and has consistently engaged with Government departments such as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in discussions about how licensing construction would lead to safer homes. It has also sought support from multiple politicians to promote the adoption of a licensing scheme. Political support Minister for Small Business, Enterprise and Markets Kevin Hollinrake (correct at time of printing) attended the FMB’s recent parliamentary reception and wants to investigate the feasibility of the scheme. But the most vigorous governmental support so far has come from Mark Garnier, the Conservative MP for Wyre Forest, who supported a Private Members’ Bill in 2021, called the Domestic Building Works (Consumer Protection) Bill, which seeks to stamp out rogue builders by advocating for a licensing scheme. Gray praises Garnier for “championing the cause” with his ongoing support for the scheme. Mandatory licensing of the UK construction industry is a pursuit that McAllister – and more than 80% of other FMB members – believes worthy of passionate effort. His fiery rhetoric on the matter earned him a seat on the FMB London Board.
rogue builders, which then undermines consumer trust in the construction market. “The home improvement and construction sector is one of the most complained about areas with consumers not only losing money to rogues but the detriment they experience can also damage their physical and mental wellbeing,” says Susie Helliwell, Senior Trading Standards Officer, Regulatory Services, Community Protection at Hertfordshire County Council. Helliwell says that results from a Government-backed survey in 2022 showed that the home and garden improvement sector accounts for 11% of consumer detriment in the UK with hundreds of pounds lost to rogues. “They also found that nearly half of consumers never get
“My pitch was that I’m coming in strong on standards. I'm going to bring what I know from architect standards and codes of conduct (McAllister used to be an architect before opening his construction company), and apply that to construction.” Architects, for example, sit before a conduct committee when the quality of their work or ethics of their business dealings are called into question. “It’s like a Government-sponsored court where architects can get stripped of their title and fined heavily. It’s about creating incentives to abide by the rules,” McAllister says. The FMB already has similar processes for members that don’t adhere to its code of conduct and professional standards. The problem is
that an expelled member – or any rogue builder – could just open up shop elsewhere and there would be nothing to stop them from doing so. Without an accreditation body or a mandatory licensing scheme, rogue builders can work off the books. “They have nothing holding them back,” McAllister says. “They can disappear and pop up again, opening up a new company. They often offer construction work for cash in hand, or have some other dodgy dealings like providing substandard materials and so on.” Not only is the country losing out on tax, but neither builder nor client have recourse should either party act unethically or illegally. Consumers are detrimentally affected by
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Master Builder
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