Builders Merchantsย Federation
Category: Tradeย Association
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) โrepresents and protects the interests of builders merchants, plumbing, heating, roofing, decorative and timber merchants and their suppliersโ, according to its website.
The BMF has called for more government support to help its members transition to cleaner vehicles but has also worked to water down or actively oppose measures designed to reduce air pollution, including Clean Air Zones (CAZ).
As of January 2020, the BMFโs membership comprised 710 merchant and supplier companies, with a combined total of over 138,000 employees. Its members include Travis Perkins and companies in the multinational Saint-Gobain group, the two largest builders merchants in the UK. The organisation provides training and support to its members, as well as running numerous events during theย year.
It describes itself as an โactive lobbyist with local and central government in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Irelandโ with an โimpressive track record ofย achievementsโ.
In a section of its website dedicated to โpolitical representationโ, the BMF says it โoffers reputable, balanced and convincing input to inform strategy, policy and funding options for Government and regulatory bodies and to protect our membersโ interests against unwelcome or unworkableย regulationsโ.
It also notes that it works with influential bodies such as the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) to โfurther the interests of the building materialย industryโ.
The BMF publishes its own quarterly magazine, One Voice.
Funding
According to its 2018-19 annual report, the BMF reported revenue of ยฃ2.2 million, just under 60% of which came from member subscriptions, with the remainder from training sessions, rents and interest. It held net assets of ยฃ4.6ย million.
Air Pollutionย Lobbying
On its website, the BMF states that clean air is โessential for making sure our cities are welcoming and healthy places for people to live and workโ and by improving air quality, health impacts from pollutants can beย reduced.
It has called for government support to help businesses replace older vehicles with cleanerย models.
However, the BMF has also worked to weaken measures designed to improve air quality such as Clean Airย Zones.
In 2018, the BMF described CAZs as a โparticular problemโ for its members who it says have โlittle or no choice but to use diesel HGVs to move heavy materialsโ. It also argued electric vehicles are โnot yet a realistic option, though this may change in theย futureโ.
The BMF said that lobbying of โgovernment ministers and a number of councilsโ was โunderwayโ in order to โpersuade them not to penalise members unfairlyโ. It argued for the introduction of the schemes to be delayed and for โdiscounts or temporary exemptionsโ to be given to small and medium-sized businesses based โin or near a new CAZโ, as well as โfunding or tax changesโ to help businesses upgrade their vehicles to cleanerย models.
Earlier in the year, it wrote a joint letter urging central and local governments to โproceed with cautionโ with regard to introducing CAZs, along with six other trade associations including the British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association and the Freight Transport Association.
In the letter reported in the Daily Express, they argued air quality was โimproving anywayโ so CAZs would โnot transform it – just bring forward the improvements that are comingโ and said HGVs needed more time to comply because โdiesel is the only realistic option available at presentโ. CAZs do not exclude the latest dieselย vehicles.
The BMF wrote to Michael Gove while he was Environment Secretary, a position he held between June 2017 and July 2019, arguing that builders merchants should be given support to replace vehicles with cleaner models โrather than introduce charging Clean Airย Zonesโ.
Its CEO John Newcomb said CAZs were โlikely to represent another administrative and financial burdenโ and argued that the government and local authorities should โexhaust all options before resorting to chargingย zonesโ.
Responding to a consultation on the governmentโs air quality policy, Newcomb said Clean Air Zones had โthe potential to slow down construction, hamper delivery to our customers and increase the cost of running our membersโ 4,800 branches across the UKโ.
He argued that builders merchants had โno choice but to use diesel vehicles to deliver to building sitesโ and urged the government to introduce a diesel scrappage scheme for HGVs and LGVs (light goodsย vehicles).
He also said that emissions charges would โsignificantly increase the cost of delivering vital building supplies into towns andย citiesโ.
In 2017, the BMFโs Policy and Public Affairs Manager Brett Amphlett wrote that the organisation was โlobbying to mitigate proposals designed to improve public air quality that will adversely affect BMF merchants and their suppliers andย customersโ.
He also noted that the BMF had argued in a government consultation the previous year that local authorities should not be allowed to set charges themselves because they would be โtempted to use it as a revenue-raisingย exerciseโ.
In a statement the same year, the BMF said the problem of air pollution was โhighly localised in natureโ and that measures such as better traffic management would be an effectiveย solution.
Key Arguments in Order ofย Prominence
- Builders merchants have little or no choice about using diesel HGVs and electric vehicles are not currently a realisticย option
- Diesel is being unfairlyย demonised
- Air quality is improving anyway so CAZs only speed up theย inevitable
- Government support to upgrade vehicles should be given instead of emissions chargingย zones
- CAZs are another administrative and financial burden on strugglingย businesses
- Air quality schemes should be delayed to allow businesses sufficient time toย adapt
- CAZs will hamper supply chains for construction sites by increasingย costs
- Other options like traffic management should be exhausted before resorting to CAZs
- Smaller businesses based in or near CAZs should be given discounts or temporaryย exemptions
- Local authorities should not have control over charging levels because they may be tempted to use it as a means of simply raisingย revenue
Areasย Active
Birmingham: the BMF worked with โbodies such as the Freight Transport Associationโ to prepare its response to a consultation on the cityโs proposed CAZ. Following the announcement of the CAZ in 2018, the BMF told BusinessLive that the scheme risked causing a slowdown in the cityโs construction boom because the cost of HGVs bringing in supplies would become more expensive, urging the council to โreconsiderโ theย plans.
Leeds: the BMF worked with โbodies such as the Freight Transport Associationโ to prepare its response to a consultation on the cityโs proposed CAZ. It said that Leeds had apparently โlistened to the concerns that the BMF expressedโ by changing the boundary of the zone, excluding vans from the charge, and proposing a charge of ยฃ50 for non-compliant lorries, half that ofย London.
London: according to a summary of responses to a 2018 consultation on the expansion of the cityโs Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and a strengthening of emissions standards to Euro 6 for the existing Low Emission Zone (LEZ), the BMF opposed a number of aspects of theย scheme.
Along with the Road Haulage Association (RHA), it opposed the level of charges for the LEZ. Along with the RHA, the Freight Transport Association and the RAC, it also supported later implementation for the strengthening of emissions standards for theย zone.
While it supported the level of charges for the ULEZ, along with the majority of respondents, it said the expansion should be implemented later thanย proposed.
Keyย Actions
Novemberย 2017
The BMF gave written evidence to a parliamentary inquiry on improving air quality. It said it supported the โoverall ambitionโ to reduce air pollution but argued this should not be done โat the expense of localย businessesโ.
It said that โby the very natureโ of their supply chain, its members had โno choice but to use diesel HGVsโ and that further controls on diesel vehicles would therefore โhamper our supplyย chainโ.
It urged central and local government to โtake great care in deciding how and when to introduce Clean Air Zonesโ and said it was โimperativeโ that local authorities โexhaust all possible options before resorting to charging Clean Air Zonesโ, which it described as โanother unwanted administrative and financialย burdenโ.
It said that โexcessive engine idlingโ was โnot something BMF members will doโ, unlike buses, coaches and taxis, and called for better traffic management to reduceย pollution.
It also accused the government of favouring private cars over commercial vehicles, saying that โfailure to act on private diesel cars is open toย questionโ.
It said its members were concerned that there would be insufficient time to adapt if CAZs were introduced in 2019 and that smaller firms โface disproportionate administrative, financial & regulatoryย burdensโ.
It called for discounts and temporary exemptions for businesses based in or near CAZs and for a diesel scrappageย scheme.
It also said it had recently given โrepresentationsโ to the Chancellor on โvehicle taxation, fuel prices, and the demonisation ofย dieselโ.
Associatedย Politicians
Conservative
