Time to scrutinise the manifestos

The run-up to this year’s General Election should provide for an enthralling contest. Please forgive me for being totally selfish when it comes to voting. Whether it’s for local or national elections, I vote for the party or person that will benefit me most. With this in mind, I will be searching for points of optimism in the various parties' election pledges. I doubt that many of the UK population have the time or inclination to trawl through the mountain of pages that form each party's manifesto. However, it could make for interesting reading this time around.

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has expressed disappointment at the Liberal Democrats' housing manifesto, which they feel falls short on the key issue of improving the UK’s existing housing stock. It fails to mention anything about the need to make the UK’s existing 26 million homes 'greener' and more energy-efficient. The FMB claims the retrofitting of the existing housing stock is a potential new annual market, worth between £3.5 and £6.5 billion which could result in the creation of thousands of much needed jobs in the building sector if the right incentives were to be put in place. This is an argument that has been placed on the agenda by property investment managers in the City. William Hill, Head of Property at Schroders recently stated that old buildings can be made more efficient by careful management and retro-fitting, installing such energy-saving devices as double-glazing: “Retro-fitting and upgrading buildings is very, very expensive, but my feeling is that you will get payback for pushing the boundaries, even if you don’t get immediate rental return.”

The Government introduced but failed with the scheme for tax relief on carbon zero-rating new homes, and now seeks to save itself with the solar panel loan scheme. When will it recognise that the double-glazing industry can assist in its drive for energy-efficient housing? The fact that Government has ignored our industry encourages me to scrutinise its political rivals' manifestos closely to see if they can offer our industry any help.

John Cowie
Editor
Email: john.cowie@windowsactive.co.uk