September 2020

Industry News
INCREASED SUPPORT
SR Timber says it has made a key
appointment to bolster its team and
provide another layer of knowledgeable
support and experience for its merchant
and contracting customers.
The Huthwaitebased
company
has appointed
Rachael Williams
to the role of
Business
Support.
Above: Rachael Williams.
Rachael brings 25
years’ experience of working for merchants, as
well as in the wider construction industry. SR
Timber sees her appointment as pivotal both to
its own business operations and to the
processes that underpin how the company
services its customers. Rachael explained:
“Having met with Trading Director Shaun Revill,
it’s clear that there are some very ambitious
plans in place for the continued growth of the
business and the desire to continue developing
the company’s market dominance, particularly
in batten.”
More news, updates and interviews at www.total-contractor.co.uk
FMB: ‘TIME TO RELEASE THE BRAKES’
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) says
government must release the brakes on
sluggish construction sector activity by
stepping up its support for builders who want
to get accredited for the Green Homes Grant
scheme.
This is in response to Construction PMI data,
published on September 4th, which showed that
growth slowed in August, with respondents citing
a lack of new work to replace completed
contracts and a ‘wait and see’ attitude among
clients.
Jessica Levy, Director of Communications at the
Federation of Master Builders (FMB), said: “The
slowdown in growth reported in today’s
Construction PMI report points to the need for
policies which sustain much-needed jobs and
activity, and give consumers confidence to invest.
The Green Homes Grant scheme has the potential
to do this, but just weeks away from its roll out,
the Government needs to step up support for
builders to gain recognition for their competence
and high quality workmanship and register for the
scheme. Rightly, the focus is on competency, but
the mechanisms proposed are complex,
“The FMB is campaigning for the Government to commit to a
long-term, ambitious plan for green homes at the Budget”
especially within the Government’s ambitious
timescales. The time and costs involved in
accreditation risk putting off quality builders who
otherwise are committed to doing their bit to
achieve Net Zero.”
Levy concluded: “We know that the Green Homes
Grant will be put under the microscope before
more public investment in energy efficiency is
brought forward. The FMB is campaigning for the
Government to commit to a long-term, ambitious
plan for green homes at the Budget that will lead
to sustainable jobs and organic growth in the
energy efficiency market. This will increase
business confidence to step up and make the
Green Homes Grant a success.”
‘GREEN ROOFS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PART OF GREEN HOMES GRANT’
A living roof specialist believes government
could have “delivered a much-needed shot in
the arm to the economy and boosted Britain’s
effort to be net zero carbon by 2050” by
including green roof projects as part of the
Green Homes Grant scheme.
Julian Thurbin, a Director at Croydon-based
green roof specialist Wallbarn, explained: “We
believe the Chancellor could have scored a hattrick
if he’d included green roofs in the grant
scheme. He would have helped improve many
thousands of homes, delivered a much-needed
shot in the arm to the economy and boosted
Britain’s effort to be net zero carbon by 2050.
“Green roofs offer brilliant insulation benefits and
keep homes cooler in summer. They also regulate
the microclimate around them, contribute towards
cleaner air quality, control run-off from heavy
rainfall and cool cities. They’d have been a perfect
partner for the other measures covered by the
grant scheme – with the added bonus of
increasing biodiversity, providing a haven for
pollinators and being great to look at,” added
Julian.
Julian says homes with flat roofs over living
areas are ideal candidates for a green roof, which
he points out are cheaper and easier to retrofit
than, for example, ground source heat pumps
and solar panel systems. “We’d love to see the
Chancellor take a second look and consider
incentivising green roof installations,” said
Julian. “They are a beautiful and natural
approach to roofing and insulating properties and
fit perfectly with the government’s environmental
agenda.
“The Mayor of London has recognised the
importance of greening urban environments
with the launch of his Grow Back Greener Fund,
which aims to support the recovery from Covid-
19 through sustainable growth and ‘greencollar’
jobs. We think it’s a scheme that could
be rolled out across the country, with support in
part from Green Homes Grant funding,” he
concluded.
12 TC SEPTEMBER 2020