NEWS EXTRA
BMF AIMS TO LEVEL UP WITH NET ZERO AIMS
The Builders Merchants Federation took members to Parliament last month for its annual reception, which this year focused on the drive to net zero.
LEVELLING UP TOWARDS Net Zero was the theme of this year’s BMF Parliamentary Reception which took place on October 26 in the House of Commons. Following the commitments given at COP26, the event highlighted the role the supply chain can play in helping to achieve Levelling Up by 2030 and Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050.
National Retrofit Strategy
The National Retrofit Strategy is a 20-year blueprint for how the construction industry can work with the Government to retrofit the existing 29 million homes in the UK. It forms part of the Construction Leadership Council’s CO2nstuct Zero campaign, of which BMF CEO, John Newcomb is co-chairman.
He said: “Net-Zero cannot be achieved without addressing the UK’s existing housing stock. In terms of energy efficiency, our housing in the UK is amongst the worst in Europe with almost one in four homes built before the second world war. UK housing uses 35% of the country’s energy, and we emit 20% of the CO2 emissons. Soaring energy bills have focused attention on insulating the nation’s existing homes, and this is at the heart of the Construction Leadership Council’s National Retrofit Strategy. Our supply chain is already providing the materials, products and solutions required to create low carbon homes to achieve the country’s net-zero ambitions. This must not be a short-term measure. We’re asking successive governments to support a long-term fabric-first, services- second approach to upgrading the energy performance of the nation’s homes. Without a long-term
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EU rather than being antagonistic. International partnership as well as domestic partnership is at the heart of our approach. As well as investing in energy efficiency, our plan will deliver cheaper electricity entirely supplied in the UK from renewable sources by 2030. The building materials manufacturers and suppliers have a key role in the low carbon future of this country. We believe that because we work in partnership and we’re following evidence from the industry, Labour will offer stability in the markets. This will help to secure lower interest rates and prices of imported goods, in contrast to the turbulence we’ve seen in recent times,” he added.
strategy to retrofit these homes, the government will fail to meet the UK’s legal obligation to deliver zero carbon by 2050, as well as failing to help constituents struggling with family budgets in the face of soaring energy costs.”
“Retrofitting is labour intensive. As well as reducing CO2 emissions and improving our housing stock, a National Retrofit Strategy programme will promote levelling-up by creating 500,000 new jobs throughout the UK. The impact of this programme will be especially beneficial in areas where unemployment is high and there is a high proportion of homes rated EPC Band C or below. Furthermore, a long-term plan is better able to unlock business confidence, private investment and secure consumer support. A simple financial incentive, such as cutting the rate of VAT on retrofit work will boost confidence and provide the vital kickstart required for this policy to be a success.
Prosperity partnership The Labour Party’s Industrial strategy titled ‘Prosperity through Partnership’ highlights the party’s
mission to deliver growth everyone will benefit from. Partnership is the core of the strategy and ensures a fairer, greener future as Bill Esterson MP, Shadow Minister for Business and Industrial Strategy and keynote speaker at the event, explained: “Our Industrial strategy needs to be beyond single parliaments and it needs to be cross-party. Until 2012, we were retrofitting up to 2 million homes a year with energy-efficiency measures. Sadly it has been largely in decline since. We’ve made that commitment again to insulate 2 million homes a year. Not only will it reduce energy bills by on average £1000 per year, it will create half a million jobs. The programme will involve providing grants to low- income households, and those able to afford the cost of improvements will receive low interest loans.” “I agree that we have to support manufacturers and merchants who face the high prices and shortages of imports and domestically produced products. The government will take a constructive approach with our international partners, and address some of the gaps in the Brexit deal of working with the
Focus on Apprenticeships For the plan to be effective, the shortage of skilled workers in the UK must be addressed and the downward trend of apprenticeships must be reversed. Esterson said: “We are focusing on delivering the business, the jobs and communities. In the short-term, Labour is calling on the government to introduce a wage subsidiary. The subsidiary will be part-funded in the apprenticeship levy, and we will also commit to the government in creating new apprenticeships for young people across the country every year. Crucially, we will focus on the technologies included in this sector. In addition, we will extend the use of the levy so that existing workers can develop the new skills required in the low-carbon economy. Our plan is backed by the Association of Employment and Learning Providers. We have to avoid the mistakes of the past and learn from the mistakes of the past. Long-term commitments, trusted schemes for consumers and development of skills will contribute to a successful energy-efficiency programme.”
“This is the beginning of a long journey, but it is one we cannot afford to ignore. The BMF along with the whole of the construction industry stands ready to work with Rishi Sunak’s government, and of course the Labour party, to reduce embodied carbon in construction and make retrofit a success. This will thereby contribute to the levelling-up agenda and improving living standards in every region in the UK,” Newcomb added. BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net November 2022
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