March 2011 Press Releases

Cardiff apprentice is the best in Britain!

Patrick Williams from Dinas Powys, Cardiff beat the cream of the country's building apprentices to become the UK's Apprentice of the year at this year's 10th Master Builder of the Year Awards which took place today.

Brighton builder is best in Britain

R&R Building Services from Brighton beat the cream of the country's builders to become the UK's most Energy Efficient Builder at this year's 10th Master Builder of the Year Awards which took place today.

Stratton Audley builder is best in Britain

Sporn Construction Ltd from Stratton Audley, Oxfordshire beat the cream of the country's builders to become the UK's Best Commercial Builder at this year's 10th Master Builder of the Year Awards which took place today.

Crieff builder is best in Britain

Corryard Developments Ltd from Crieff beat the cream of the country's builders to become the UK's Best Large Renovations Builder at this year's 10th Master Builder of the Year Awards which took place today.

Dunkeld builder is best in Britain

Dunkeld Builders Ltd from Dunkeld, Perthshire beat the cream of the country's builders to become the UK's Best Medium Renovations Builder at this year's 10th Master Builder of the Year Awards which took place today.

County Down builder is Master Builder of the Year!

FJ Charleton Building Contracts Ltd from Ballymartin, County Down beat the cream of Britain's builders to be crowned the UK's Master Builder of the Year at this year's 10th Master Builder of the Year Awards which took place today.

AMs Support FMB Wales' Manifesto for Construction

The Minister for Business and Budget has joined forces with other AMs in support of the FMB Wales manifesto, 'Building for Success', which was launched in the Welsh Assembly yesterday. 'Building for Success' calls on politicians to support FMB Wales's 20 point plan to get the building industry back on its feet. The event was hosted by Joyce Watson AM and other speakers included the Business and Budget Minister Jane Hutt and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM.

Energy Bill Needs to be More Ambitious, says FMB and WWF

The Energy Bill needs to be more ambitious if it is to succeed in getting householders to make their homes more energy efficient, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and WWF in a joint statement issued today.

Recovery at Risk as 90% of Builders Fear Rising Inflation warns FMB

The Government's hopes for an SME[1] led recovery have been dealt a serious blow by the latest results from the building industry, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), the largest trade association in the UK construction industry. The latest results from the FMB's quarterly State of Trade Survey, the only survey of small and medium sized building companies, show that 90% of members responding in Q1 2011 expect materials costs to rise over the next six months marking a two and a half yea

Budget Fails to Ignite Green Building Revolution, says FMB

For a Government committed to being 'the greenest ever' today's Budget failed to ignite the forthcoming Green Deal programme to retrofit our nation's homes. No additional incentives such as a cut in VAT for energy efficient repairs, stamp duty or council tax were announced to make Britain's homes greener and more energy efficient.

VAT No Brainer Essential for Green Growth says FMB

Tomorrow's Budget must include a targeted cut in VAT for all domestic repair, maintenance and improvement (RM&I) works if the Government is to make the most of the scarce public resources available for generating growth and reducing carbon emissions according the UK's largest construction association, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

FMB Supports MPs' Demands for Action on Planning Vacuum

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has joined the House of Commons Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee in calling on the Government to end the current planning vacuum created by the pending abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS).

BATJIC Agrees 1% Pay Increase

The Building and Allied Trades Joint Industrial Council (BATJIC) has concluded the 2011/12 round of pay negotiations and agreed that there will be a 1% increase to the main rates of pay for Adult General Operatives, Intermediate Crafts (NVQ2) and Advanced Crafts (NVQ3) effective from Monday 12th September 2011. The agreement also includes recognition of the additional bank holiday for the royal wedding. All other rates and benefits remain unchanged.

Let's Get Building Again, says FMB Scotland

Construction SMEs can help rebuild Scotland by creating more jobs, supporting economic growth as well as creating a greener more sustainable economy but only if the Scottish Government acts on three major challenges facing the construction sector, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Scotland.

Keeping ConstructionSkills Will be Key to Delivering the Low Carbon Economy, says FMB

The Government's decision to keep the construction industry training body, CITB-ConstructionSkills, in the public sector is welcome but it must continue its focus on delivering the skilled workforce our industry needs to ensure construction can deliver the low carbon economy, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Let's Get Building Again, says FMB Wales

Construction SMEs can help rebuild Wales by creating more jobs, supporting economic growth as well as creating a greener more sustainable economy but only if the Welsh Assembly Government acts on three major challenges facing the construction sector, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Wales.

SME Construction Companies Hold the Key for Green Deal Success, says FMB

The creation of a skilled workforce to deliver the Government's Green Deal retrofit programme will depend on more than just 1,000 apprentices, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Let's Get Building Again, says FMB Northern Ireland

Construction SMEs can help rebuild Northern Ireland by creating more jobs, supporting economic growth as well as creating a greener more sustainable economy if the Northern Ireland Assembly acts on three major challenges facing the construction sector, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Northern Ireland.

Halifax Builder gets Backing from Local MP for VAT Cut

Halifax contractor DLE Construction wants local businesses to support the Federation of Master Builders' (FMB) call on the Government to cut VAT on home repair, maintenance and improvement work. David Ellis from DLE Construction met with local MP Linda Riordan to ask for her support for the cut, which would create more jobs and help eliminate cowboy builders.