Major players in the industry have reacted to new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak being appointed, calling on him to support a national retrofit strategy and foster growth and jobs for small builders.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) argued at its annual that a national retrofit strategy would create 500,000 new jobs across the UK and help achieve the country’s Net Zero ambitions by 2050.
John Newcomb, CEO of the BMF, said: “Soaring energy bills have focused attention on the need to insulate our homes and the National Retrofit Strategy is a 20-year programme to upgrade 29 million to make them warmer, greener and cheaper to run.
“Its success will require long-term cross-party commitment, but it sits well with the Conservative’s Levelling Up agenda, and with Labour’s aim for a fairer, greener future.
“Retrofitting is labour intensive. As well as reducing CO2 emissions and improving our housing stock, a National Retrofit programme would promote levelling up by creating 500,000 new and meaningful, local jobs throughout the UK. One of our key asks of this government is to commit to a properly-funded national training plan to boost the number of competent, qualified people to undertake this work. The impact would be especially beneficial in areas where unemployment is high, and there is a large proportion of homes rated EPC Band C or below.
“Our new PM can also help by providing a simple financial incentive, such as a cut in the rate of VAT on retrofit work, to provide the vital kick-start which will unlock business confidence and private investment, and secure consumer support for the programme.
“Modelling shows that if the current government invested just over £5 billion by the end of this Parliament, it would unlock £11.4 billion in private capital investment over this period, and the programme would more than pay for itself.
“The BMF, along with the whole construction industry, stands ready to work with Rishi Sunak’s Government to reduce embodied carbon our buildings and to make retrofit a success, thereby contributing to the levelling up agenda and improving living standards in every region of the UK.”
Meanwhile, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) welcomed Rishi Sunak’s commitment to deliver stability but warned that the government’s new agenda must strengthen small builders’ ability to contribute to growth and support jobs right across the UK.
Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said: “Rishi Sunak’s premiership must bring to an end to the turmoil of recent economic and political events, and deliver stability and confidence for small, local builders. These firms, operating in towns and villages right across the UK, are ideally placed to be at the heart of levelling up, helping to create and support jobs, and contribute to growth and productivity.
“But builders will only manage this if consumers can afford to get work done on their homes. So, inflation, interest rate hikes and recent shocks to mortgage rates must be countered by policies that help keep Britain building. With the crisis of energy bills an urgent item in Sunak’s in-tray, I hope he will honour commitments to home energy efficiency made in the 2019 manifesto, and realise the potential of a long-term retrofit strategy to help cut bills, reduce energy demand, and keep builders busy.”
Brian concluded: “The new government must also maintain its commitment to planning reforms to make it easier for small house builders to build high quality homes in areas that people want them and be cautious of the impact of possible cuts to come on a planning system already struggling to deliver.”
>>Read how the industry reacted to Liz Truss being appointed here.
