The National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) has published a ‘Six Point Plan’ for the Chancellor to help support the roofing and cladding industry build back better, greener and safer from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, will be presenting his Spring Budget on 3 March, and is expected to set out the next phase of the government plan to tackle the pandemic and protect jobs.
The NFRC is calling to stimulate investment in policies that boost the construction industry, while at the same time, supporting the UK in its goals to reach net-zero by 2050 and improve building safety.
The Federation is asking the Chancellor to:
- Introduce a Green Annual Investment Allowance (GAIA) to raise the energy efficiency of commercial buildings.
- Implement the Construction Leadership Council (CLC)’s National Retrofit Strategy to help retrofit the UK’s 28 million homes.
- Reform business rates to encourage the take-up of roof-top solar.
- Stop the introduction of Reverse Charge VAT.
- Work with industry to find a resolution to soaring Professional Indemnity insurance premiums.
- Introduce a Building Safety Upskilling Fund.
Commenting on the Six Point Plan, James Talman, chief executive of the NFRC, said: “Now that the government has set out its roadmap out of lockdown, they must use the Spring Budget as an opportunity to introduce policies to rebuild confidence, stimulate investment, and support the construction industry to build back greener and safer
“In the short-term, the Chancellor should immediately halt the introduction of Reverse Charge VAT – it’s not too late for a last-minute change in direction on this disastrous policy, which will cause a major headache for many construction firms.”
James continued: “In the longer term, the government needs to stimulate investment in future-proofing our building stock. Buildings contribute to 19% of all the UK’s carbon emissions, and they are some of the least energy efficient in Europe. There is, therefore, a great need to retrofit not only our homes, but our commercial building stock too, and roofing has a crucial role to play here, with a quarter of heat being lost through the roof.”
You can read the full NFRC Six Point Plan here.
