Manufacturers and key industry organisations have backed this week’s King’s Speech as a positive step forward.
In the first State Opening of Parliament under this government, The King’s Speech unveiled over 35 bills and draft bills which will support delivery of the government’s first steps and missions to rebuild Britain.
Russell Dean, Residential Product Group Director, Mitsubishi Electric, said: "The King's Speech has rightly laid out several Bills intended to achieve economic growth, including an increase in the production of renewable energy, which will ensure our energy security, and an increase the number of people undergoing technical training. Building on this momentum is crucial if we are to deliver on the promise of net zero by 2050.
"Ensuring energy security also means encouraging the adoption of heat pumps and increasing the installation rate, which currently remains far less than 100,000 a year. For this to be achieved, the new Labour government must provide certainty by promoting and incentivising the adoption of renewable, low carbon heating systems by both consumers and businesses.
“At the same time, the government must drive energy efficient building standards, providing clarity on how new buildings must be fitted for low carbon heating. The government should also enable a phased approach to retrofit, by setting consistent, actionable standards for the decarbonisation of all types of buildings.
“For both households and businesses, the government must prioritise reducing energy costs and one clear way of achieving this would be to rebalance the cost of electricity and gas. The price of electricity in the UK continues to be higher than that of gas (*). This price gap, where electricity is more expensive than gas prevents the adoption of low carbon heating and the electrification of heat. As a result, it is an expensive barrier for households looking to switch to more renewable alternatives, such as heat pumps.
“The previous government committed to consulting on this change. Rebalancing energy costs must remain a high priority and key action for government.
"We support the Heat Pump Association's call for a Domestic Heat Pump Tariff Discount, which would reduce the price of electricity used for hot water and heating produced by a domestic heat pump. We would also like levies removed from electricity bills to balance these costs further.
"This will make electricity more affordable for households as the cost of living continues to rise while moving energy requirements away from volatile oil and gas prices. In turn, this will improve national energy security and support the creation of a future green economy.
"Improving support for renewable apprenticeships and increasing the number of colleges offering heat pump training is also critical. Combined with government support, this will increase the current installer base and put net zero promises into action."
Rachel Hughes, marketing director at Wienerberger UK and Ireland, said the government’s commitment to "get Britain building" by reforming planning procedures marks a pivotal moment for the housing and construction industry: “At Wienerberger, we welcome this renewed focus on accelerating housebuilding nationwide. While the King's Speech did not provide specific details on how the government intends to ‘turbocharge’ housebuilding through these reforms, its prominent inclusion in the agenda signifies a proactive approach.
“The introduction of Skills England is particularly noteworthy. By fostering collaboration among the government, businesses, unions, and training providers, this initiative aims to cultivate a skilled workforce tailored to the needs of our evolving industry. With employers at the heart of this partnership, we can hope for a more robust pipeline of talent ready to drive innovation and excellence in housebuilding.
“The King's emphasis on ‘sustainable growth’ and investment in industry, skills, and new technologies aligns perfectly with Wienerberger’s commitment to sustainable construction practices. It is heartening to see this priority reflected at the highest levels of government.
“We look forward to collaborating with our partners and stakeholders to achieve these goals, ensuring that the UK meets its housing needs while promoting economic and environmental well-being.”
In response to the King’s speech yesterday at the State Opening of Parliament, the Structural Timber Association (STA) is calling on the new Labour Government to recognise that delivering its manifesto pledge of building 1.5 million homes will require a significant change in focus and a rapid shift towards more sustainable building technologies, primarily offsite timber frame.
Andrew Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer of the STA, commented: “The STA whole-heartedly supports The Chancellor’s ambitious plans for housing growth, but we must emphasise that simply building more houses is not enough; we must embrace a fundamental change in the way we build our homes. As a clean technology that offers lower carbon than other building materials, automated offsite manufacture for better quality and shorter construction times, structural timber is the quickest way to bring about this change.
“The structural timber industry has the capacity and capable to support the new Government in building 300,000 homes a year. With increased automation in offsite manufacture, the structural timber sector can deliver both higher volumes and better quality.
“Indeed, many of the major housebuilders are already recognising that we’ve reached a tipping point within the industry, with companies including Vistry, Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Developments, Cala Homes and Avant Homes seeing the benefits of building in offsite timber frame.
“Our industry requires clear actionable policies, policies that put MMC and Carbon Reduction, and therefore structural timber, at the forefront of supporting Government in the delivery of their housing goals. The policies put in place now will have a significant impact on the UK’s ability to deliver housing targets, great places to live and reducing carbon to achieve net zero. This will be the legacy for decades to come.
“We urge Government to renew the commitment to increasing the use of timber in the Timber in Construction Policy Roadmap, published by DEFRA in December last year – some important progress has already been made and it’s vital that we continue this momentum.”
CIBSE’s CEO, Ruth Carter, welcomed the government's focus on infrastructure, housing, and climate change as outlined in the King's Speech: “The launch of Great British Energy and the emphasis on renewable energy investment are pivotal for a sustainable future.
“We are committed to continuing our collaboration with the government and industry partners to ensure the built environment contributes to the UK's economic and environmental goals."
Stephen Phipson, Chief Executive of Make UK, described the proposals as a bold statement of intent from a Government which has clearly hit the ground running and is committed to tackling many of the issues in its in tray as a matter of urgency.
“The first priority has to be boosting the UK’s anaemic growth rate which will be key to providing the resources for investing in public services and vitally needed infrastructure,” he continued. “Central to this will be an industrial strategy which addresses the skills crisis and takes advantage of rapidly accelerating technologies. Industry will welcome the Government’s recognition of these issues as key and looks forward to seeing more detail in the upcoming fiscal statement.
“Delivering on these commitments will now be vital. Industry stands ready to work in partnership with Government across all departments to ensure these plans bear fruition and make a real and lasting difference to the UK’s economic prospects at national and regional level.”
On the Housing Bills, Daniel Paterson, Director of Make Modular, said it “shows a real intent from the newly elected government and its minister to deliver mission-led policies that can deliver the high-quality housing we need”.
“At heart, the Bills that have been put forward for this session of Parliament have the power and capacity to transform the way in which the homes sector works in this country and we welcome this bold approach,” he added.
"Fundamentally, the traditional housebuilders are unable to deliver the numbers of homes needed the begin to address the broken homes market this country faces. Only by employing every method of construction, including the modular and MMC sector, do we stand a chance of addressing this national disgrace. Modular and MMC manufacturers stand ready to play their part."
Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the National Housing Federation said the King’s Speech sets out some important and welcome first steps towards tackling the housing crisis and increasing the delivery of desperately needed affordable and social homes: “We look forward to working closely with the government to ensure that a revitalised planning system delivers the number and types of affordable homes the country needs.
“We’re also pleased to see the government commit to abolishing Section 21 no fault evictions to provide private renters with greater security and protect those on low incomes from the risk of homelessness.
“With the housing crisis effecting people right across the country, we fully support the government’s ambition of building 1.5 million new homes over the next Parliament, but this will not be possible through planning reform alone and will need to be met with the right funding. We will continue to make the case for these changes to form part of a nationally coordinated and fully funded long-term plan for housing which places social housing at its core.
“Housing associations stand ready to support the government on this to deliver the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.”
