The Welsh Conservatives' public support for licensing the UK construction industry is a positive step forward and demonstrates growing support for the proposal, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Cymru.
Commenting on the Welsh Conservative’s new housing strategy, ‘Housing a Nation’, Ifan Glyn, Director of FMB Cymru, said: “We are extremely pleased that the Welsh Conservatives have committed to working with the UK Government to set up a licensing scheme for the construction industry. The FMB is passionate about professionalising the construction industry and raising standards in the sector. In the UK, it is perfectly legal for anyone to set up a building firm and start selling their services to the public without any prior experience or qualifications. This explains why more than half of homeowners have had a negative experience with a builder. In several other countries, construction firms require a licence to operate and we want to see the same safeguarding brought in here.”
Glyn concluded: “The proposal to licence the UK construction industry is now gaining momentum in the industry and among policy makers. The Welsh Conservatives are the latest to publicly support the idea, and they join a long list of more than 30 organisations and groups that support licensing. A Licensing Task Force will have its first meeting early next year and will develop the proposal more fully, including how funding, competence and enforcement should work. FMB Cymru is looking forward to working with the Welsh Conservatives and the Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, on furthering the proposal. By continuing to demonstrate this broad support for licensing, we are optimistic that the UK Government will take licensing forward.”
