Spring Budget reaction from Forticrete

MD at Forticrete, John Lambert, has spoken about the Spring statement recently made by Chancellor Phillip Hammond.

He referred to the Chancellor’s Autumn budget, which focussed strongly on housebuilding, with plans to build 300,000 houses on average, every year up to 2020.

“Since then, there has still been much talk about state of the house building market and how the government needs to tackle the apparent delays in order to reach its target,” he said.

He mentioned the independent review, first referred to in the Autumn Budget, which will be led by Sir Oliver Letwin MP.

This is set to look at the gap between the number of planning applications gaining consent and the number of properties being built, which John has said the results of which will be an ‘important step’ in speeding up the process.

“But it is obvious that the government is taking serious steps to get Britain building.

“There are many measures being put in place with more funding being made available.

“For example, smaller housebuilders are important to achieving the housing target, and in doubling finance for them to £220 million through the housing growth partnership it is further commitment to building homes that are very much needed.

“The speed of build is also important and housebuilders should be encouraged to use materials that make the process quicker and more cost effective.

“It is well documented that housebuilders face lengthy waits due to shortages of popular building materials.

“Material specification continues to be a key issue but there is a raft of products available to builders which offer cost effective and sustainable alternatives to more expensive and time delayed products. It is a win-win choice for everybody.”

John said Forticrete also welcomed the Chancellor’s announcement regarding T-Levels and funding for apprenticeships, saying it is important to ‘nurture our talent pool’ and ‘provide them with opportunities to learn the important skills needed to succeed in the construction industry.’

Forticrete have already embraced the importance of apprentices to its business, with one having not long completed a course in Advanced Engineering, where he was provided with the on-site training required.

“By developing the next generation of talent not only does it give them vital experience but also provides opportunities to progress within the business, which is beneficial for everybody involved,” John said.

He added the Autumn Budget later on in the year will be all important, to see whether any of the Government’s lofty plans are coming to fruition.

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