NFB publishes “Supporting Construction to Power Growth” manifesto

The NFB has published its “Supporting Construction to Power Growth” manifesto which seeks to give a future government some of the tools to help them deliver and sustain growth.

It focuses on unambiguous proposals that can generate lift off in construction and at zero cost or seed funding to the tax payer. It is a starting point for a healthier industry, highlighting the many things the Government could and should be doing to create an environment for construction to ensure it is able to power and sustain UK growth.

NFB is the longest standing and most representative construction trade body representing over 1,000 members with 28,500 employees with a combined turnover of over £8bn. Founded in 1896, its members range from the sole traders to large, billion-pound construction companies, with turnover ranging from below £500,000 to £1.1Bn.

Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the NFB, said: “The reality is obvious; the construction industry is a key component for the UK to meeting its numerous challenges and therefore the incoming government must not only understand where the barriers to our industries’ growth exist, but what that means for the UK’s ambition.

“With more than fifty recommendations spread across five chapters, our Manifesto builds on NFB member experiences and involvement with policy makers to create a solid foundation for the reforms that would immediately deliver sustained economic and social growth in construction and across the UK.”

Presented in five chapters and covering seven topics, “Supporting Construction to Power Growth” presents recommendations that are deliverable within one parliamentary term, and more importantly sustain growth.

Within this manifesto are clear, unambiguous proposals that can generate lift off in our construction sector; proposals that an incoming Government would be well to heed and implement. Many are zero cost to the tax payer, others require seed funding to deliver. In all cases the return on investment, both social and economic is large. Our proposals include:

• Solutions to the green economy. The construction industry influences over 40% of carbon emissions and there are solutions to massively reduce these.
• Proposals to modernise planning processes, which act as the gate keeper to built investment. The process is not fit for purpose and delays in planning are delays in economic growth, something that the UK can ill afford to entertain.
• Solutions to our housing and placemaking challenges that the UK faces.
• Skills, skills and more skills. Our sector employs and trains widely and there is an opportunity to enhance training within our sector to give everyone in our society an opportunity to work and contribute.

Rico Wojtulewicz, NFB’s Head of Policy and Market Insight, said: “UK construction is key to placemaking, fixing the housing crisis, building our infrastructure, meeting our climate obligations, and enabling British business. Yet we appear to have lost sight of how we ensure it is not in decline and with insolvencies 30% higher than in 2019, something is awry.

The NFB manifesto highlights the gaps in policy thinking and ultimately opens doors for growth conversations, without placing further burdens on taxpayers.”

The manifesto is available here.

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