24 COMMENT
o, does this mean in fi ve years time well have . million additional homes Probably not, and this is seemingly supported by the outgoing head of Homes England. It’s more likely that two terms will be needed to deliver that fi gure given we havent built , new homes in a single year since the late s. verall though we must use this push for new homes as an opportunity to reset the housing market. The UK has become too reliant on a small number of volume housebuilders to deliver new homes, while SME numbers have crashed, putting us deeply out of sync with other developed economies. My concern is the plans of this Government seem reliant upon large-scale strategic housebuilding, which – in theory – will reduce house prices and result in more housing. ut, this is far from the business models that volume developers work to, and pushes aside organic, sustainable growth.
THE FIRST LABOUR BUDGET IN 14 YEARS he longawaited udget fi nally arrived at the end of ctober and weve now all had time to mull over it. Previous new governments tend to try and get the fi nances sorted early on, but abour played a waiting game. What we eventually ended up with was certainly a
Labour’s plans to provide and increase the number of planning offi cers. owever, the additional planning offi cers is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed to boost local authority planning teams – . planning offi cers per local authority planning team will struggle to make a difference!
step change to the previous government. ut the immediate message was costs are going up for businesses. The fallout is still being debated into the end of the year, particularly the rise in national insurance contributions for employers which will sting many in .
It is good news that the Government has committed to upgrade the country’s energy ineffi cient homes with .bn pledged to fund their Warm Homes programme. While the full plans for how this will impact homeowners, and not just social housing, is not yet clear, it may help to provide a pipeline of work for small builders.
he udget also fi nally cemented Stocksigns achieves gold level membership
Stocksigns has achieved gold level membership from the Supply Chain Sustainability School (SCSS). This forms a key pillar of the company’s progressive CSR policy, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable business practices and helping to reduce the environmental impact of the
construction sector. “Achieving gold level membership from the SCSS has been a crucial step,” commented Danny Adamson, managing director at Stocksigns. “Introducing operational and procedural changes are all very well, but we also need employee awareness and engagement to have a real, lasting impact. The resources available through the SCSS have really helped us to educate and train employees across our teams.”
01737 774072
www.stocksigns.co.uk/about-us/corporate-social-responsibility
WHAT’S TO COME IN 2025? As we leave and enter the Government has started to realise the scale of the challenge. Departments beyond MHLCG, including Education, ork and ensions and usiness have now understood that more builders are needed to get anywhere near delivering . million new homes. he creation of Skills England may also help with this push but given it’s going to take at least nine months to set up expectations have to be managed. Efforts to boost recruitment will need to be funnelled into building up our vocational educational system, which has found itself in second place behind academic routes to work for decades. ets hope in this and wider sectoral issues can fi nd a path to some form of a resolution and the Government can realise its much sought after and increasingly elusive ‘growth’ in the economy.
Inspiring Community Connections
Meadfleet Open Space Management is celebrating a successful year of community engagement activities. The award-winning open space specialists have broadened their outreach, collaborating with even more residents, neighbourhood groups, charities, and schools across England and Wales.
Their activities range from mini-beast hunts and pond-dipping days to bat and wildlife walks, ecology talks, and planting activities. Wherever possible, events are held on Meadfleet-managed open spaces, fostering stronger connections among neighbours within their developments. Through the Meadfleet Academy, they engage younger generations, inspiring them to become future stewards of the natural environment.
enquiries@meadfleet.co.uk www.meadfleet.co.uk BD12_Stocksigns_Appointments &
News_PR.indd 1
New UK Trade Sales Director For Luceco 18/12/2024 09:32
HBD12_Meadfleet_PR.indd 1
13/12/2024 10:56
Luceco has appointed Ian Hunter as UK trade sales director. With a wealth of experience in the electricals industry across all channels and with strong links within the housebuilding sector, Ian has previously worked for brands including Legrand, Scolmore and Electrium (part of Siemens). Working with an innovative portfolio of respected lighting, electrical and EV charging products, Ian will now be responsible for driving forward Luceco‘s UK trade sales.
John Hornby, CEO at Luceco Group PLC said: “Ian’s appointment is a reflection of our ambitious long-term goals for Luceco. A new role, Ian will be focused on UK trade and project responsibilities. With his strong industry relationships and proven track record, I am confident that Ian’s contribution to the business will be highly significant.”
Ian said: ‘With its impressive product portfolio and forward-thinking attitude, Luceco offers exciting opportunities in the rapidly developing electrical market. This, coupled with my experience makes this appointment a ‘perfect fit’ for me and I look forward to being part of the next stage in Luceco’s development.”
sales@luceco.co www.luceco.com/uk
HBD12_Luceco_Appointments &
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WWW.HBDONLINE.CO.UK
02/01/2025 12:29
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