In his exclusive Installer column, Tim Pollard shares his view that the government frequently changing its policies is not good for installers, end-users and the industry:
When is a pledge, not a pledge? When it is made by a politician of course. (Or when it’s a tin of furniture polish).
Herein lies the issue which has beleaguered our industry since time immemorial. Policies are made and then scrapped with increasing frequency, sometimes before they come into force. How are businesses supposed to prepare for the future when the ground is almost constantly shifted?
How are householders expected to understand the direction of travel when the map changes by the day?
Even the people making the decisions are changing with alarming regularity. How can government Ministers possibly understand the complexities of their brief when one month they’re looking after education and the next month they’re in charge of pensions?
It used to be that their officials helped by gathering all the relevant information but they are also transferred between departments on a frequent basis too.
In my forty years of experience, policies have been as fickle as the UK weather. I can cast my mind back over a cornucopia of initiatives like the Code for Sustainable Homes, the Feed In Tariff, The Green Deal (I still carry the scars of that one) and now the Boiler Tax and the £28 Billion commitment to a Green Economy.
All businesses, large and small, need certainty before making investment decisions. A wrong decision can be catastrophic, and eventually, as confidence
is lost, all progress comes to a standstill. This affects the entire industry; apprenticeships, training, tradespeople, distributors and manufacturers.
We know that there are long-term targets. The problem is that policy is currently led by short-term goals, and that is the next election. Setting a target for 2050 is
admirable, but who will be held to account if we fail to achieve that target? Of course, there are always changing conditions and economic circumstances but a long-term target is unachievable unless measured progress is made year-on-year.
And as we fail to set a consistent strategy, and we fall behind in the necessary progress required, then the decision-makers in the future will be pushed to ever more radical action.
So a heartfelt plea to our elected representatives. Please listen to those who are involved on a daily basis and then set consistent policy with a minimum of changes. In order to make any progress the key people who deliver domestic heating solutions need:
- To be convinced that there is market demand for the solution
- To be trained and accredited to deliver the solution
- That the infrastructure is in place to support the solution
- That the solution will be suitable for the majority of households
