In a letter to Mr Osborne, the BWF chief has called on government to support a Wood First rule, championed by timber industry promotion group Wood for Good and endorsed by the Independent Panel on Forestry.
This would involve local authorities using their Local Plans to introduce a Wood First Policy for construction projects to increase use of wood in buildings.
Other BWF recommendations include:
• cancelling January’s rise in fuel duty;
• reducing VAT to 5% for Green Deal measures and all private housing RMI work;
• put pressure on late-paying contractors;
• bolster the Housing Strategy by getting banks to lend;
• reduce national insurance for one to two years to encourage SME’s to recruit young workers;
• provide a National Growth Council to speed up decision making and support a vision for growth.
“Austerity is absolutely vital, but tight fiscal management is not enough,” said Mr McIlwee.
“We are still not seeing enough support for businesses planning to invest, our banking system still seems unable to provide the support that businesses need and construction, widely recognised as the principal catalyst to growth, is suffering from a piecemeal approach,” he said.
He commended government initiatives such as the freeze in the development rate of the mininum wage, as well as attempts to reduce bureaucracy in the planning system and measures to resolve employment disputes more cost effectively.
The chancellor will make his autumn statement on December 5.
