The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has criticised the King’s Speech for offering “little hope or excitement” for the building industry with no new initiatives to address the decline in housing.
The speech which outlines the government’s plans for the year ahead focused more on crime and policing whereas for housing, the King only addressed a Leasehold and Freehold Bill – which would ban leaseholds for new houses, but not new flats, in England and Wales, and increase the standard lease extension period to 990 years – and the Renters (Reform) Bill which would deliver the ban on no-fault evictions in England.
Commenting on the speech, Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, said: “It is disappointing that that there was nothing of note in the King’s Speech to address the alarming decline in housebuilding rates across the country or any new plans to improve the nation’s draughty and leaky homes. At a time when we need to be focusing on economic growth the absence of ambition to build more homes and improve the ones we have is a missed opportunity.
“The King’s Speech reference to plans to regenerate towns across the UK is promising but without the detail the jury is still out about whether this will benefit local builders. A clear commitment from the government to engage with SMEs would have helped provide more assurance at a time when enquiries for new building work are falling by as much as 40%.”
Brian concluded: “More encouraging is the government’s lead to improve the quality of technical education in this country with its focus on enhancing skills and vocational training, ensuring that everybody can receive the best possible education, through the new Advanced British Standard qualification. This has long been an issue of great importance to SME builders looking to recruit staff and grow their businesses.”
