A ‘budget for builders’, says FMB The Chancellor Philip Hammond has in his autumn budget delivered a ‘budget for builders’ that should allow small builders to deliver more of the new homes Britain so badly needs, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Commenting on the Budget 2017, Brian Berry


Chief Executive of the FMB said “The Government has set itself a new target of building 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s. And today the Chancellor has put small and medium-sized builders at the heart of ambitious plans to tackle the growing housing crisis. The Chancellor appears to be putting his money


where his mouth is with the announcement of £44 billion of capital funding, loans and guarantees. A further £1.5 billion for the Home Building Fund to be targeted specifically at SME housebuilders can play a significant role in channeling crucial funding to this sector. A £630 million fund to prepare small sites for development and proposals to require councils to deliver more new housing supply from faster-to-build smaller sites will provide opportunities to boost small scale development.” Berry continued: “A second major challenge to getting new homes built is the


skills crisis we face. In the long run, the only real solution to chronic skills shortages will be a major increase in the training of new entrants into our industry. We are therefore pleased to hear the Chancellor has today committed extra resourcing to training for construction skills. With Brexit round the corner the next few years will bring unprecedented challenges to the construction sector. The Government will need to make sure that the sector continues to have access to skilled EU workers, but we are pleased that the Chancellor has today listened to the needs of SME builders”.


Offsite Manufacturing – Smart


Construction For decades productivity has been


considered one of the main issues within the construction industry – the sector has gained a reputation for projects being completed behind schedule and over budget. According to the Smart Construction


report, researched and published by KPMG - the infrastructure, building and construction industry has seen a substantial increase in pipeline activity, with industry-wide sentiment improving in recent years and greater significance placed on sustainability. The construction industry currently makes up 6.5% of the UK economy and


forecasts suggest a healthy growth rate of 3.6% in 2016 returning output to pre- recession levels. Growth is being driven by demand for infrastructure, public and private housing and commercial buildings. While the construction industry is buoyed by predicted growth and expansion,


it continues to underperform in four strategic areas: productivity, certainty in delivery, skills shortage and data transparency. Offsite construction - the prefabrication, modularisation and standardisation of


construction processes and assets within controlled factory environments - continues to be quoted across government and industry as a potential catalyst in meeting these challenges. Offsite construction offers an alternative by presenting transformative


improvements across the asset lifecycle in time, cost, quality and health and safety. But most importantly, offsite construction offers predictability. Future infrastructure clients like HS2 are specifying the ‘presumption for


offsite’ in future tenders and The Housing Corporation and English Partnerships are requiring that 25% of funded units be constructed using technically advanced offsite construction methods. Joshua Southern, author of the KPMG Smart Construction report, spoke at


Explore Offsite Infrastructure, discussing how offsite construction can offer a viable alternative to the construction status-quo. This one-day conference, held in early December, created a platform to network with industry experts and discuss the latest offsite construction solutions that will help to deliver the requirements of the infrastructure sector. The next event for your diary is Explore Offsite Outlooks being held on 28


February 2018 at BRE, Watford– tickets to Explore Offsite Outlooks cost just £125 plus vat and includes entry into the conference and exhibition, lunch, refreshments and parking. Visit http://www.exploreoffsite.co.uk for more information.


telephone 01444 450071 Top 10 Most Annoying Things


About Other Trades We all know there’s a healthy rivalry on-site between different tradespeople, but what is it that really winds people up? A recent study has lifted the lid on the annoying habits that really tick


tradespeople off. From ‘borrowing’ someone’s tools to leaving mess on site, On The Tools and Scruffs Workwear have unveiled the top most annoying things about ‘the other trades’. 10. Radio Gaga Listening to Radio 2 was found to be among the worst offenders. One worker


commented: “I like to swap channels when they go to the van or something. Then see how long it takes them to work it out.” 9. Walk of Shame Walking over newly laid tiles. This is a huge cause of frustration for floor layers.


One worker branded the trades that do this as “idiots!” 8. Risky Business Ignoring the on-site hazards and health & safety. This is extremely annoying for


workers as not only are those ignoring the hazards putting themselves at risk, they are also endangering others around them too. Whether it’s working irresponsibly at heights or wearing the wrong gear, other workers end up being put at risk. 7. What a Tool When another tradesperson comes onto a job and asks to use your tools and


equipment. This frustration was said to be increased even further if the accused tradesperson then left a mess or was lacking in respect. 6. The Blame Game Blaming the other trades. This is a big one right across the UK. Specifically,


tradespeople are wound up when other workers blame them for their mistake in an effort to leave early or not do their job. 5. No Time Wasters Please Being called into a job too early. This is thought especially annoying when


workers are told by another trade that something is ready, but then finding this to be untrue upon arrival. This time wasting leads to huge frustration. 4. Finish What You Start Leaving jobs unfinished or large amounts of mess for other trades to sort out


has also been found to be exceptionally annoying. Issues such as plastering over sockets and leaving wires in the way leaves a large percentage of tradesmen feeling very frustrated. 3. R.E.S.P.E.C.T When a tradesperson doesn’t have any respect for the other trades on site.


Workers claim that obnoxious behaviour whereby a worker from one trade believes themselves more superior to another trade is hugely annoying. This is often exacerbated by tradespeople taking credit for what was in truth a joint effort. 2. Dumping Ground In second place is when workers don’t clean up after themselves. This is one of


the most annoying things about the other trades, especially if they leave the site spotless beforehand. When asked which trade was the worst offender for this, the finger was firmly pointed at electricians. 1. Trade Off The number one most annoying thing about other trades is simply the fact that


they were in a different trade. Brandishing decorators as the “glory boys” and suggesting that architects don’t know anything, it looks like most tradespeople can find at least one thing that annoys them about each and every trade. Chris Mellor-Dolman, Head of Scruffs Marketing, commented: “Tradespeople


are renowned for being some of the happiest workers, which is a real feat given the number of annoyances they have to deal with each day. “The rivalries between different trades are as old as time and won’t ever go


away completely. Despite this, Britain’s tradespeople are some of the best in the world and can always be relied upon to get the job done.”


ToolBUSINESS+HIRE 23


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