Building firms meet with UK PM on real estate market

Building firms meet with UK PM on real estate market
Filed under: Business, UK — OPPE News @ 11:24 am

Just passing
Creative Commons License photo credit: Hiddenloop
Construction bosses have held crunch talks with the UK prime minister in an effort to secure help for the real estate market.

Richard Diment, director general of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) met with Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street.

Also in attendance was housing minister Margaret Beckett, and Ian Pearson, minister for construction.

But little was given away as to the prime minister’s reaction to demands for a VAT cut on repair and maintenance work.

Mr Dimnet said:

“At a time when the building industry is facing its biggest challenges for many years, the meeting was not a moment too soon.

“I was able to tell the Prime Minister that the Government must provide further incentives to free up the moribund building market.”

Dimnet warned the pace of new homes construction is under threat as 41 per cent of the FMB’s members say they will make redundancies over the next few months.

He also said Gordon Brown was “listening to concerns” and wanted to meet again in the New Year.

In November Mayor of London Boris Johnson unveiled a housing strategy for the capital which includes a £5 billion cash injection to boost the number of affordable homes for sale.