Tag Archives: Government

The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) is one of 32 trade and industry groups to sign an open letter coordinated by Family Business UK, which calls for a formal consultation on the planned changes to Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR).  The letter highlights concerns that the reforms …

Toolstation has joined forces with Northampton Saints, Travis Perkins and social enterprise Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) for its latest project, helping transform the Northampton Old Scouts RFC clubhouse with changing room refurbishment and ground maintenance. Predominantly used as a training and playing facility for Northampton Old Scouts rugby club, the …

The government has announced plans to launch 32 new Homebuilding Skills Hubs by 2028, aimed at fast-tracking training in key construction trades to help meet the UK’s housing demand.  The hubs will provide specialised training in trades such as bricklaying, roofing, plastering, scaffolding, electrical work, and carpentry. The initiative will …

The Building Merchants Federation (BMF) CEO, John Newcomb, has voiced concerns over the Budget’s impact on small and medium-sized merchants. Newcomb’s response follows government announcements of new revenue-raising measures, which, while anticipated, have sparked worries over increased operational costs. “We fully expected this to be a difficult budget for our …

The Government has reported that August 2024 is the fourth-highest month for applications via the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS) since the launch of the heat pump incentive in 2022. It found that 2,890 submissions were received during August 2024 to apply for a grant of £7,500 towards installing a heat …

The BMF has launched the first stage of its Sector Awareness Programme; the bmcareers.com website was launched at the Federations Annual Members Conference on September 19. The need for such a programme has been a long time coming and follows research carried out by YouGov which highlights that nearly half …

Wilo has launched a new service to help installers check the pumps they are fitting are safe for use and compliant with the Energy-related Products (ErP) regulation. Since January 1 2022, heating circulation pumps, also known as heating circulators, sold in the UK market must meet the ErP regulations. To …

The Government has launched a taskforce to identify possible sites for a new generation of new towns. The programme aims to create large scale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each, with something being “significantly larger”. Regeneration expert Sir Michael Lyons will spearhead the “New Towns Taskforce” as its …

It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair And so it begins. The ‘Project Fear’ that Rishi Sunak’s election campaign majored on, the huge amount of tax increases that an incoming Labour Government would …

Builders merchants trade association the Builders Merchants Federation wants to see a fresh impetus from the next government is needed in support of the building industry to speed up the delivery of quality new homes of all types and tenures, and to implement an effective programme of energy efficient retrofit …