New APHC president focuses on building regulations and lobbying activities in inaugural speech
Published: 05 July, 2016
In his first speech as national president of the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC), Brian Silvester discussed two important activities focused on improving trading conditions for the quality plumbing and heating contractor.
He said: “Over the next year I would like to promote and support the lobbying work that we are engaged in; which I am quite passionate about, and personally believe will bring about much needed change for the betterment of our industry.”
Speaking at the annual APHC President’s Dinner on Saturday, Mr Silvester began his speech with a discussion of the independent research currently being undertaken into the lack of enforcement of Building Regulations in the plumbing and heating industry. The new president went on to detail how the research aims both to quantify levels of enforcement activity taking place with relation to Building Regulations work and qualify the experiences of plumbing and heating contractors in this area around on site workmanship standards and the issues they face when applying regulations and competing for work.
Emphasising that the key aim of the research is to quantify the impact of current enforcement strategies on the plumbing and heating industry, Mr Silvester explained that the findings, due to be made public by APHC next month, will form the basis of new industry solutions to be presented to government later in the year. Alongside other bodies in our industry, we aim to lobby government for much needed regulatory change in this area.
The Association’s president also spoke about APHC’s work, in collaboration with a number of industry partners and larger gas contracting businesses, in bringing about refinements to the ACS gas reassessment requirements. He said that following general concern around ACS’s five-year reassessment requirements, the broad principles of a re-shaped ACS reassessment package have now been ratified by the SMB group, which oversees the scheme.
John Thompson, chief executive at APHC, said: “It was great to see Mr Silvester’s passion for the important work APHC is undertaking to improve trading conditions in the plumbing and heating industry. The improvement of Building Regulations enforcement and subtle changes to the ACS reassessment process will certainly be a key priority for him in his second term of office and we wish him the best of luck for what we are sure will be a successful and productive year.”
