ASSOCIATIONS
BPF president reports “positive news” for UK construction sector in 2014 / Reiterates his commitment to issues of building, skills, energy and finance
Mike Boswell (Photo: BPF) |
At the recent annual general meeting of the British Plastics Federation (BPF, London / UK; www.bpf.co.uk), president Mike Boswell reiterated the themes of his presidency, adding that “after some very challenging years we do see some positive news for our plastics construction products members. It is predicted UK construction output will rise by 4.5% in 2014 and private housing starts rose by 20.9% in 2013.” His statement reflects the optimism expressed by the federation’s members, in a recent survey about 2014 – for details, see Plasteurope.com of 03.03.2014.
Boswell intends to focus on construction recovery, skills needs, energy supply and the availability of finance during his presidency at the BPF, which represents 450 direct members as well as 1,600 affiliates. In terms of energy, he emphasised the need for the industry to secure affordable energy supplies, urging the government to fast-track alternative means, including energy from waste. He also highlighted the fact that there is a growing skills shortage, with companies looking for technical managers as well as supervisory and shop floor staff.
Another one of his presidency’s tenets – construction – has shown signs of improvement, with a revival in house building. The BPF would like to support this by having VAT reduced by 5% on so-called “Green Deal” products, like UPVC double-glazed windows and EPS insulation, further stimulating refurbishment. Last but not least, Boswell called on UK banks to improve their lending conditions.
The UK plastics industry’s turnover stood at GBP 19 bn in 2013, employing 180,000 people across 7,500 companies.
e-Service:
BPF Annual Review 2013 as a PDF file
Boswell intends to focus on construction recovery, skills needs, energy supply and the availability of finance during his presidency at the BPF, which represents 450 direct members as well as 1,600 affiliates. In terms of energy, he emphasised the need for the industry to secure affordable energy supplies, urging the government to fast-track alternative means, including energy from waste. He also highlighted the fact that there is a growing skills shortage, with companies looking for technical managers as well as supervisory and shop floor staff.
Another one of his presidency’s tenets – construction – has shown signs of improvement, with a revival in house building. The BPF would like to support this by having VAT reduced by 5% on so-called “Green Deal” products, like UPVC double-glazed windows and EPS insulation, further stimulating refurbishment. Last but not least, Boswell called on UK banks to improve their lending conditions.
The UK plastics industry’s turnover stood at GBP 19 bn in 2013, employing 180,000 people across 7,500 companies.
e-Service:
BPF Annual Review 2013 as a PDF file
27.05.2014 Plasteurope.com [228352-0]
Published on 27.05.2014