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CIOB eyes next wave of MPs with industry guide Briefi ng document will be sent to MPs and prospective candidates before party conferences

The CIOB is preparing to launch a new campaign to inform the next intake of MPs about the changing face of the modern construction industry — high-tech, value-creating and home to high numbers of skilled, educated professionals. . It has produced a new CIOB Guide to the Built

Environment, a briefi ng document that will be sent to all MPs and Prospective Parliamentary Candidates to give them a better understanding of an industry signifi cantly impacted by policy decisions made in Westminster.

The guide will also be supported by a specially-

commissioned report, The Real Face of Construction, which looks at the economic impact of the industry. It will be launched at the Labour conference in Manchester in September, and then disseminated via a dedicated website. Every MP and PPC will also be sent a hard copy

of the guide a week before the three main party conferences. CIOB chief executive Chris Blythe and head of policy Eddie Tuttle explained that the guide aims to spotlight the role of construction managers and innovative practices in an industry that’s often over-simplistically viewed in terms of the numbers it employs. Its other main thrust is to highlight its impact

throughout the regions, with every MP and PPC being informed about the size and economic impact of the industry in their region. Boosting the economic performance of the regions and giving Local Economic Partnerships more clout is currently a policy priority for all the main parties. Letters have already been sent to a smaller

group of MPs and PPCs in marginal seats, and Blythe said the results were already promising.

The CIOB is targeting the next intake of MPs with its new construction guide

“It’s about tweaking interest, and we’re already

“We’re raising the profi le of the industry and of construction management, and looking to infl uence people at the right time” Chris Blythe, chief executive, CIOB

In a fi rst for the CIOB, which has previously limited its pre-election lobbying to joint efforts with the Construction Industry Council, it will launch the guide at three fringe events to be held at the main parties’ autumn conferences: Labour in Manchester, the Conservatives in Birmingham and the Liberal Democrats in Glasgow. At each event, additional speakers will

also be invited to give a rounded view of the industry. “In the past the construction management message has got a bit lost, this time round, it’s about the CIOB presenting distinctive messages,” head of policy Eddie Tuttle told CM.

4 | SEPTEMBER 2014 | CONSTRUCTION MANAGER House building is expected to be an issue

addressed by many other voices within the industry: the National Federation of Builders and the National Housebuilding Council, for example, are staging joint panel debates at both the Labour and Conservative conferences as part of the wider “Homes for Britain” campaign. Other signatories include the RIBA, RICS, Federation of Master Builders and contractors Wates and Mears Group. But the CIOB is hoping to widen MPs’ and

PPCs’ focus beyond the housing issue. “Of the 20 or so responses we’ve had so far from PPCs, not one has mentioned housing,” Tuttle said. Chris Blythe added: “House building

The CIOB is launching its guide at three fringe events at the main parties’ autumn conferences

fi nding that people are coming back to us for more information. It means they’re developing an interest, which is great news,” he said. The guide does not promote any specifi c

industry-boosting policies, a move away from the “shopping list” style of manifesto traditionally published by professional institutions and trade organisations such as the UK Contractors Group or Federation of Master Builders. Instead, it sets out the strategic importance of

Institute jostles with other bodies to make its voice heard