The urgent need to build more homes for everyone should be a key priority for all the political parties during the General Election campaign, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The FMB is calling on all the political parties to make house building a national infrastructure priority, along with
The Immigration White Paper shows the Government isn’t listening to the business community as it sets out a post-Brexit immigration system that would devastate the construction industry, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Commenting on the Immigration White Paper, published this afternoon, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
The urgent need to build more homes for everyone should be a key priority for all the political parties during the General Election campaign, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). The FMB is calling on all the political parties to make house building a national infrastructure priority, along with 11 other key policy areas in its ‘Programme for Government’ published today. The programme calls for the political parties to commit to the following: Housing • Make house building a national infrastructure priority and build 1.5 million new homes • Free up more public land for housing and break it up into small plots for small builders • Invest in local authority planning departments to speed up the planning process Skills • Promote vocational education and invest in Further Education • Reform the UK Apprenticeship Levy so it works better for small companies • Introduce a fair and balanced post-Brexit immigration system Quality • Licence all UK construction companies • Introduce mandatory warranties for building control-approved work • Create a new ‘General Builder’ qualification Net Zero Carbon • Create a National Retrofit Strategy • Invest in upskilling builders to build and upgrade homes fit for the future • Cut VAT on home improvement work to 5% Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB said: “In this Brexit election the main political parties mustn’t lose sight of the big issues facing the UK such as the current housing crisis. We are still not building enough new homes, and this has led to an affordability crisis and over-crowding. This election is an opportunity for all parties to publish ambitious plans to turn this situation around. Small builders stand ready to help the new Government not only to build more new homes but also make our existing homes more energy efficient.” Brian Berry concluded: “Small building companies will also be instrumental in helping the future government tackle other major challenges facing the UK, from helping to tackle the climate crisis to helping to building the hospitals and schools of the future. Our Programme for Government gives 12 clear policies for each of the political parties to adopt to support SME builders. Politicians must not only give the country the gift of resolving Brexit this Christmas, but also a vision for the future of our built environment.” The Programme for Government is available here: https://www.fmb.org.uk/media/50547/fmb-programme-for-government-2019-2024.pdf.
The Immigration White Paper shows the Government isn’t listening to the business community as it sets out a post-Brexit immigration system that would devastate the construction industry, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Commenting on the Immigration White Paper, published this afternoon, Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The Government seems hell-bent on ignoring the business community when it comes to its immigration policy, as demonstrated by this disastrous White Paper. Despite more than two years of constructive engagement, what has been proposed by Ministers takes on none of our feedback. If the Government wants to jeopardise the UK economy for the sake of meeting an arbitrary immigration target, it’s going the right way about it.” Berry continued: “What’s particularly worrying is the Government’s obsession with salary thresholds for migrant workers entering the UK. The figure of £30,000 was floated in the Migration Advisory Committee report and was met by fierce opposition from almost all sectors. It makes no sense to draw meaningless lines in the sand when we should base our immigration policy on what will make our economy strong and productive. The White Paper also states categorically that it will make no allowances for so-called low skilled workers. This is wrong on two levels – firstly, the definition of low skilled will cover most construction tradespeople and secondly, genuinely low skilled workers, such as labourers, are essential to the safe and smooth running of any construction site.” Berry concluded: “12-month work visas for occupations in short supply during the transition period simply won’t cut it. Small and medium-sized construction firms, which make up 99 percent of the industry, do not advertise for roles internationally. Also, from a migrant worker’s perspective, why go to the UK for just 12 months when they can settle in other countries for much longer and put down roots if they wish. If the 12-month work visa idea was supposed to be an olive branch to the business community, it leaves much to be desired. The Government describes the construction and house building sectors as strategic and central to delivering its own aims. However, the plans set out today would make it impossible to meet the Government’s house building targets and the world-class infrastructure projects we have in the pipeline will be nothing but a pipedream.”
