NEWS EXTRA: BMF CONFERENCE 2025
A HOUSEBUILDING PERSPECTIVE Neil Jefferson, CEO of the Housebuilders Federation
IN THE YEAR it has been in power, the Labour Government has made a reasonably positive start, HBF CEO Neil Jefferson told BMF Conference delegates. The planning changes to the NPPF have brought some relief to the industry, there have been some positive policy announcements on the grey belt and modernising planning committees, and the industry seems to have fairly string relations with the Government. “It’s clear that a focus on homebuilding remains a key priority for economic growth,” he said.
That’s not to say that the outlook doesn’t remain very challenging. Housing delivery fell by 6% year- on-year, with signs that it has further to fall. “Last year, 2024, saw the lowest number of new homes approved in a decade. Economic challenges persist, and there are numerous risks and challenges,” he said.
Chief amongst these for many years has been planning, with delays and hold-ups caused by the under-rescuing of planning departments. And, while the government has promised 300 new planners to help ease backlogs, the HBF estimates that the actual number needed is 2,200. However, Jefferson pointed out that improving the planning system is only one part of the solution. “There are 17,000 affordable homes that remain uncontracted, and there is a huge amount of pressure on the private sector, which delivers almost half of all Affordable Homes – many of which are at risk.”
What the HBF wants to see is a Written Ministerial Statement to encourage cascade mechanisms, and the longer terms rebuilding of the financial capacity of housing associations.
He also highlighted the issue of building safety. “The industry has committed £6 billion through the Residential Property Developer Tax and the Self Remediation Terms. The Building Safety Regulator remains beset by problems and delays,” he said.
Jefferson pointed out that there is still an incredibly challenging climate for first-time buyers. “The average FTB in England must save
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THE NATIONAL MERCHANT’S VIEW John Carter,
CEO of Stark Building Materials UK
SOME 28 MONTHS ago, Stark Building Materials UK was formed when Denmark-based Stark MBV (check) bought the UK building materials distribution business of Saint-Gobain. Since then, CEO John Carter told delegates, it has been a programme of continuous improvements.
half of their earnings for almost a decade to afford a deposit,” he said, adding that the Help to Buy mechanism, which helped over a third of a million people buy a home, is on track to deliver taxpayer returns of £2bn. Uncertainty in other areas is also causing delays and hold-ups, such as the ongoing transition to the Future Homes Standard. “We are still waiting for crucial details on the final specifications- including PV requirements and the transition from SAP to HEM.” He added that HBF members are still facing delays due to nutrient neutrality issues
Other ongoing problems are those of building and developing the workforce. “25% of the home-building workforce now aged over 50. We estimate that, for every 10,000 new homes built, over 8,000 new recruits are needed across 12 key occupations”
He said that the HBF has a number of initiatives to try and counter this issue, from a Schools Outreach Programme and Training Hubs to college partnerships and support for apprenticeships through the supply chain. It also offers, he said, Future Talent and Skills events and receptions, a Women into Home Building Programme, Mental Health Awareness Campaign and is working on energy efficiency data.
He said: “It is positive that we have a Government that wants to build homes and has taken decisive early action on planning reform. However, the government must now take action in several other areas if we are to see a meaningful change in housing delivery.” BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net July 2025
“Jewson is the dominant element,” he said, “but we do of course have out other business with their own specialities: Minster, Frazer, JPS (Jewson Partnership Solutions), NBS, which deals with larger contractors, JP Corry in Northern Ireland, and Normans in the Channel Islands (check which one) All of them contribute to the overall projects.”
Carter said that in his 47 years in the industry, he has worked in a variety of businesses. “Independents, national, PE funded businesses – in 47 years I’ve done all of them. In all of them it was important that the team all worked together.
When he came on board with Stark, Carter said he found a business that had a great brand and heritage – there aren’t many people who don’t recognise the phrase ‘The Jewson Lot’, but that had lost its wat. “It had been starved of investment, was slacking in confidence and was struggling with too much bureaucracy and central control. There were under-resourced branches on the front line, being supplied by fulfilment centres.”
As far as Carter is concerned, he said, the branch managers are the ‘Kings and Queens of the business, its lifeblood, its custodians.’ He said: “We have a belief in the traditional values, a world of range availability, customer service and keeping your word equal success. A world of doing the right thing in the right way by your customers,” and he paid tribute to an outstanding leadership team. The redevelopment of the Jewson business follows some simple tenets, he said. “We are putting in place local branch teams for local branches, people who are right for the job, we make use of the Stark group sourcing power. We are bringing in tool hire, better branch environments, trusted deliveries and range that are always in stock. If it is stock then you have the chance to sell it. A branch where you are greeted when you enter, not ignored, even though there may be people in the queue ahead of you.” As the redevelopment project evolves, he said, it is doing so with decency, passion about the potential of the business and pride on the brands. “If you like, the Stark Group is the Red Bull that is giving us the wings to fly. We are 121 weeks, or 853 days into the project. We are making progress. There’s still much to do, but that is the exciting element.” BMJ
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