VIEW FROM THE LOBBY I
t’s been a busy time, with a succession of government announcements and March’s Budget statement touching on vital issues and policy relevant to our industry.
The extra £150m allocated to the ‘Get Britain Building’ fund for housebuilders was a welcome feature of the Chancellor’s Budget statement in March – as was the £2bn bonus in government coffers as a result of decreased borrowing. As a nation, we face shortages in housing and underdevelopment in our infrastructure, while the construction sector continues to suffer; the first three months of the year saw a three per cent fall in construction output, helping to drag the UK economy back into recession. We would urge the government to use this money to help create a virtuous circle – kick-starting construction projects to boost the economy, generating much-needed new jobs.
Prompt payment
As well as boosting new business, the ECA has been calling on government for action on payment practices. The ECA, alongside other trade bodies like the Forum of Private Business, continues to lobby on prompt payment both at grassroots and nationally, and there has been progress. In early March, Small Business Minister Mark Prisk MP set out a revised action plan to better promote prompt payment. In addition, the Budget statement set out a commitment from the government to work to address this issue. And most recently, the Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude MP, stated:
2012 ECA circulars
APRIL 2012 n Circular 74 2012 – ECA Business Administration Programme available in Penkridge and Newbury. Date published online: 19/04/2012. Category: Training. n Circular 73 2012 – Copper Coated Aluminium (CCA) Cables. Date published online: 19/04/2012. Category: Technical. n Circular 72 2012 – The AM2 assessment: Employers must first complete checklist document with apprentices/ trainees. Date published online: 19/04/2012. Category: Training. n Circular 71 2012 – RIBA launches Contracts in Use and Legal Issues Survey. Date published online: 19/04/2012. Category: Tendering and contract administration. n Circular 70 2012 – Daywork Rates 2012. Date published online: 19/04/2012. Category: Finance matters. n Circular 69 2012 – Prison sentence for tax evasion. Date published online: 12/04/2012. Category: Finance matters. n Circular 68 2012 – Green Deal pioneers step forward as DECC publishes guidance. Date published online: 12/04/2012. Category: Environment. n Circular 67 2012 – Government call for evidence for changes to dismissal procedures. Date published online: 12/04/2012. Category: Employee Relations. n Circular 66 2012 – Exclusive £70 CEDIA Custom Installation course offer for ECA Registered Members. Date published online: 10/04/2012. Category: Training.
20 ECA Today May 2012 Green Deal
Many members are keenly interested in potential opportunities arising from the Green Deal, but there are still many questions over the scheme. Officially, the Green Deal is still due to be launched in October 2012 for domestic properties; however, it is rumoured that the commercial Green Deal package will be delayed. The ECA would welcome such a move, as it has been calling on government to use the domestic market as a test bed before rolling out the commercial scheme. The ECA continues to push the case for ‘active’ measures to be a full part of the Green Deal, such as lighting controls and sensors, in addition to renewable energy technologies.
National Planning Policy The government has recently announced its new National Planning Policy Framework, designed to streamline the planning process. On the positive side, the planning guidance has shrunk from 1,000 to a more manageable 50 pages, and the 15-year planning stipulation for local councils will allow businesses to engage and help shape the infrastructure and housing needs in their area. Local planning authorities are to look for solutions rather than problems and, on this basis, decision-takers at every level should seek to approve applications for
n Circular 65 2012 – Sale of ECA member businesses. Date published online: 05/04/2012. Category: Buying & Selling a business. n Circular 64 2012 – Increases in rates of Statutory Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Sick pay from April 2012. Date published online: 05/04/2012. Category: Employee Relations. n Circular 63 2012 – 2012 Regulations introduce new category of asbestos work. Date published online: 05/04/2012. Category: Health & Safety. n Circular 62 2012 – Renewable Heat Premium Payment extended as domestic Renewable Heat Incentive is again delayed. Date published online: 05/04/2012. Category: Environment. n Circular 61 2012 – New ECA agreement gives members 20% off Glenigan subscription. Date published online: 02/04/2012. Category: Technical.
MARCH 2012 n Circular 60 2012 – BSE Higher Skills Project.
Date published online: 23/03/2012. Category: Training. n Circular 59 2012 – FREE breakfast briefings from Knowles Ltd. Date published online: 23/03/2012. Category: Training. n Circular 58 2012 – Kent Fire & Rescue Service changes its response to automatic fire alarms. Date published online: 23/03/2012. Category: Technical. n Circular 57 2012 – Have you subscribed to ECA’s online Standards library? Date published online: 23/03/2012. Category: Technical. n Circular 56 2012 – Environment Agency clarifies producer responsibility for recovering WEEE lighting. Date published online: 22/03/2012. Category: Environment. n Circular 55 2012 – ECA’s response to the Budget announcement.
by Carol Wrench, head of Communications
‘We are taking steps to ensure that payments get made quickly not only to prime contractors but to sub-contractors further down the supply chain.’ The ECA is also calling for prompt payment policies to be extended beyond central government contracts.
sustainable development, where possible. The hope is that this will lead to more planning applications being granted – and quicker – with the system designed to create more certainty and collaboration. Under the framework, local planning applications should jointly and simultaneously be judged on whether they deliver a balance of economic, social and environmental benefits. As these three dimensions do not make easy bedfellows, there is understandable concern about how this will work out in practice, and how the lack of clarity has the potential to create considerable court activity. It remains to be seen how this will be resolved.
Building Regulations
The ECA has welcomed the Communities and Local Government Parliamentary Select Committee report into Building Regulations. After hearing evidence from the electrical contracting industry, including the ECA and NICEIC, local authorities and other key stakeholders, the committee said that it could not support deregulation of the building regulations if electrical safety were to be compromised. The ECA is also currently seeking to meet government officials on plans to increase compliance, while reducing costs for those working to high standards. With so many issues affecting electrical contractors currently under the spotlight, it’s essential that the ECA continues to lobby vigorously for members’ interests, and we are doing just that – ensuring our views are successfully communicated to government. n Visit
www.eca.co.uk/lobbying for more info on the ECA’s engagement strategy and lobbying.
Date published online: 22/03/2012. Category: Finance matters. n Circular 54 2012 – Final round of free FLASH workshops and site tours (London area). Date published online: 20/03/2012. Category: Environment. n Circular 53 2012 – New ECA Business Administration Training Programme. Date published online: 20/03/2012. Category: Training. n Circular 52 2012 – Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) approved by the European Parliament’s Energy Committee. Date published online: 15/03/2012. Category: Environment. n Circular 51 2012 – Network Rail Fair Payment Charter. Date published online: 15/03/2012. Category: Finance Matters. n Circular 50 2012 – The IET wants your views! Date published online: 15/03/2012. Category: Training. n Circular 49 2012 – ECA’s Renewables e-Forum expands to include Energy Solutions. Date published online: 15/03/2012. Category: Environment. n Circular 48 2012 – Voltimum & ECA host technical webinar on The Condition Report. Date published online: 15/03/2012. Category: Training. n Circular 47 2012 – ECS warns against ‘middle men’ card issuers. Date published online: 07/03/2012. Category: Training. n Circular 46 2012 – Reminder about HMRC’s Electricians’ Tax Safe Plan. Date published online: 07/03/2012. Category: Finance Matters. n Circular 45 2012 – ECA publishes new guide, an A-Z of Carbon Jargon. Date published online: 07/03/2012. Category: Environment. n Circular 44 2012 – Visit ECA at EcoBuild on stand N2735. Date published online: 07/03/2012. Category: Environment.
n Circular 43 2012 – ECA’s Wired for Success initiative mentioned in Lords’ speech. Date published online: 07/03/2012. Category: ECA service updates. n Circular 42 2012 – Plug-in Van Grant available. Date published online: 02/03/2012. Category: Environment. n Circular 41 2012 – Update on Project Bank Accounts seminar, 25 April 2012. Date published online: 02/03/2012. Category: Finance Matters. n Circular 40 2012 – Advice to members using Internet Explorer v6. Date published online: 02/03/2012. Category: ECA service updates. n Circular 39 2012 – ECA website gets a makeover. Date published online: 02/03/2012. Category: ECA service updates.
FEBRUARY 2012 n Circular 38 2012 – ECA gives evidence on Part P to DCLG
Select Committee. Date published online: 23/02/2012. Category: Technical. n Circular 37 2012 – Model Intruder Design & Risk Assessment Check List. Date published online: 23/02/2012. Category: Technical. n Circular 36 2012 – Registered Members get up to £100 off IET Wiring Regulations e-book packages. Date published online: 23/02/2012. Category: Technical. n Circular 35 2012 – UKCG launches Health & Safety Training Standard. Date published online: 23/02/2012. Category: Training. n Circular 34 2012 – ECA website will be unavailable on 27 February. Date published online: 23/02/2012. Category: ECA Service Updates.
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