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FMB News

Important Information - 2008 National AGM & Conference Notice

September 11th to 14th 2008 Crewe Hall Hotel, Crewe

Notice is hereby given that the FMB’s 67th National Annual General Meeting will be held at the Crewe Hall Hotel, Crewe on Friday, September 12th 2008.

Any resolutions, from branch committees or regional councils, intended for debate at the National AGM on Friday, September 12th, must be sent to the Director General’s offi ce by the end of May. This is to ensure that National Council is able to consider any resolutions at its June meeting. All competent resolutions will be published in the August edition of Master Builder magazine.

In accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, any member unable to attend the AGM in person will be entitled to appoint a proxy on their behalf. The form to appoint a proxy will be included in the Annual Report, which will be circulated in the August 2008 issue of Master Builder or will be available for download online.

Construction work load falls

The FMB issues its State of the Trade survey each quarter. Its latest survey for Q1 2008 reveals that the construction work load has fallen to its lowest level since spring 2006.

The survey suggests that domestic renovation, modernisation and improvement works has been worst hit and commenting on the survey, Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs said: "Our survey shows is that there has been a downturn in the British economy in general so it is unsurprising that its biggest industry, the construction industry, has felt the force of this. While the current situation will cause problems for the immediate future the survey shows it is not a complete disaster with the majority of builders expecting their workloads to remain steady in 2008."

Now is the time to review your entry on ‘Find A Builder'. It attracts more than 1.5million visitors each year and generates almost £650 million worth of new job leads for FMB members, which can make a real difference during lean times.

Cut VAT to cut carbon on old homes

The property industry has joined the FMB in calling for a VAT cut on home renovation, following new evidence that building new houses emits four-and-a-half times as much CO2 as refurbishing an existing dwelling.

A report by the Empty Homes Agency (EHA) claims that embodied carbon - the CO2 emitted as a direct result of constructing a new building - accounts for nearly three times as much of the building’s lifetime emissions as previously thought.

The research report, ‘New Tricks with Old Bricks – how reusing old buildings can cut carbon emissions’, comes amid growing unrest in the housing and mortgage market over lack of credit and with house builders beset by a growing list of green targets.

Have you given your support to the FMB 'Cut the VAT' campaign yet? Sign up now.

Can you beat this?

FMB member Malcolm Stubley of CDS Builders in Barnard Castle was asked to quote for a small job to replace a lintel over an old fireplace. The client stressed that the job had to be done quickly, but that was fi ne because Malcolm had capacity to squeeze it in. He contacted his client a day or two later to say he had some free time and would come to survey the job. “Fine,” she said, “I’m in now, you can come straight away.” So off he went, he was let into the house, taken to the fi replace that needed repair and what did he see? Another contractor working on the job. “Oh,” said the client, “I just wanted you to give me a price to make sure I wasn’t paying this chap too much.” Not normally one to be lost for words, Malcolm just left without comment.

If you can beat this horribly embarrassing situation, email the editor at nickyr@warnersgroup.co.uk or telephone 01778 391128. There is something in it for you – whoever reports the most bizarre incident by 27th June will be sent ‘House Dividing’ by Paul Hymers, a guide to creating multiple homes from a single property.