Government Advocacy
It’s mid – July and in less than a week we will have a new Prime Minister the seventh in ten years. We eagerly await to find out if this will result in new policies and principles and whether the original manifesto commitments will be honoured, amended or shelved. Will this bring more certainty or uncertainty for our industry sector? Only time will tell but what we do know is that there is likely to be a reshuffle which means that we start over again engaging with MPs who span the at least eight Government departments that we deal with on different issues. We’ve also had thirteen housing ministers in the last ten years!
This year has been very busy with the GGF Consultation response Group providing industry feedback on many consultations including Approved Document L (Energy), for the Future Homes Standard, Approved Document B (Fire) laminate glass in balustrades plus the release of the Warm Homes Plan. The plan is very much centred around electrification and electricity generation such as solar PV for our long-term energy security to reduce the reliance on gas and oil considering the conflicts in Ukraine and the middle east. And whilst this is admirable, we all know that this is shortsighted and Heat Pumps will not be efficient unless the fabric of the building including glazing is brought up to the latest specification.
The conflicts also threaten to disrupt elements of our material supply, and the volatility of a cease fire means this could impact us for some time to come including our economy. With higher inflation and interest rates many homeowners are holding on to their money through savings rather than investing in home projects. We need that market confidence to return.
Is there any good news? Yes, there is, the GGF is working hard on several initiatives to help our industry and a good example of this is the Energy Intensive Industries (EII) scheme which provides for lower electricity costs on eligible activities that are included in the exemption list. Currently NACE Code 23:12 for Glass processing is not on the list and we have 24 member companies signed up to help us lobby for it to be included. If eligible the gains would be very welcome with many companies saving over £50k a year on their electricity costs. If you’d like to be part of this movement, please do contact me on cbeedel@ggf.co.uk
Following the significant delays in the Gateway application approvals process for Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs), the GGF is having regular meetings with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) to provide important industry feedback on delays, material supply and resource availability.
We are also involved with a government project lead by the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC) to provide input on how financial protection should be offered to homeowners. Whilst this is already included in the Conditions of Authorisation (COA) that companies such as FENSA must comply with, the review will consider bringing consumer protection requirements together across many existing schemes such as Compete Persons and Microgeneration.
Work is also underway to arrange a Parliamentary reception with other members of the UK Glass & Glazing Collective to showcase Glass in all its forms and to educate and inform government and stakeholders about its benefits and the opportunities that it brings to provide much needed growth.
