British Woodworking Federation (BWF) chief executive Iain McIlwee has outlined how the government should support growth in the joinery industry in a letter to the chancellor in advance of Wednesday’s Budget statement.
The letter urges George Osborne to increase lending to credit worthy businesses, especially SMEs, defer the fuel price rise, better promote the Green Deal to consumers and introduce a standard 5% VAT rate for products and measures that boost energy efficiency.
Mr McIlwee also asked the government to support all manufacturing, rather than select parts such as aerospace and car manufacture, reduce employers’ National Insurance for one or two years, temporarily freeze the development rate of the minimum wage and reinstate support for Proskills.
“The Budget comes at a critical time for us,” said Mr McIlwee. “The last three years have been tough, with many companies having to cut back and restructure as far as is possible.
“The joinery industry has always been and remains a fundamental part of the UK manufacturing sector. It represents an estimated £5bn spread across 5,500 firms in the UK and employs 100,000.
“The government’s plans must take into account the challenges that we face to ensure British manufacturing can thrive in the future and be in a strong shape to support and benefit from the UK’s economic recovery.”
