It’s been a nail-biting week for the nation, particularly for the English contingent – will England go through to the next round of the World Cup and will the Budget leave us with enough money in our wallets to celebrate if they do?
At the time of writing, one of those question marks remains and, in truth, while we now know which of the government’s cuts are the deepest and which areas are taxed the hardest, the World Cup will be a distant memory before we really know if we’re winning or losing.
The headline-grabbing VAT rise to 20% certainly won’t please the construction sector, with the Federation of Master Builders condemning it as a move that will encourage consumers to resort to VAT-avoiding cowboy builders. It says small, reputable builders will suffer job losses as a result.
And even before the VAT rise really bites, there are indications that, although NHBC figures show a 68% year-on-year increase in housebuilding last month, consumer confidence is dipping again, possibly signalling danger for builders moving ahead of the market.
It’s incredibly finely balanced, and like it or not, we’ve all got to get on with it. As the wartime posters produced by the Ministry of Information instructed the nation, we must keep calm and carry on.
Of course, the timber industry is used to proving its resilience and carrying on. There is still optimism that sales of timber products will benefit from the drive for energy-efficient buildings and there are signs that contractors are switching their focus to private, rather than public sector work.
And, as our machinery focus shows, there is plenty of support for the timber sector from affiliated industries. Wood-processing machinery makers have been upgrading their products, opening up more opportunities for timber companies and enabling them to get “more bang for their bucks”.
That’s clearly something we’ll all be striving for over the coming months.
