Government must act on 'cowboy builders'

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It is imperative that the government acts to end the "proliferation of cowboy builders that plagues us all", says Stephen Lloyd MP.

As the chair of the all party parliamentary group for ageing and older people and the secretary of the consumer affairs and trading standards all party parliamentary group this is an area that is of great interest to me. Not only do these unscrupulous imposters routinely target the most vulnerable in our society, they also create an unfair market place that disadvantages legitimate builders.

Given the severe economic climate that we are facing and the ageing British population it is imperative that the government act, and a formal consultation about the merits of compulsory licensing would be an ideal place to start. It unacceptable that this scourge on our country be allowed to continue unabated.

These fraudsters operate outside the bounds of law, work cash-in-hand and consequently, do not pay VAT. This allows rogue builders to charge much lower prices than their honest counterparts and therefore distort the market, creating unfair competition. The practice also results in a potentially significant loss of revenue for the exchequer and illustrates the arrogant belief that these individuals have. No one should be above the law and everyone should be expected to contribute to the public services we all benefit from.

I want to take this opportunity to make it clear that my attention to this issue in no way reflects a desire to over regulate the industry to the detriment of the small businesses and entrepreneurial spirit we need to be championing in the current economic climate. In fact, these are some of the very individuals that I aim to help by calling this debate.

It is time to tackle this issue head on and a Westminster Hall debate is a brilliant start, but there is much work to be done and I believe that we shall ignore this matter at our peril. It is time to protect the vulnerable in our society, to champion the honest businesses that form the bedrock of our economy and end the proliferation of cowboy builders that plagues us all.

Stephen Lloyd was elected as Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne in 2010. A former actor, commodity broker and business development consultant, he currently sits on the House of Commons Work and Pensions committee.

Article Comments

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has always encouraged members of the public to ensure that they use a reputable builder. They should consider using only those builders who are members of a reputable trade association, such as the NFB. This gives the consumer some peace of mind that the builder they are employing has taken the trouble to be vetted and accepted into a professional organisation. However, the consumer must take other steps to ensure that they are getting the best service. The NFB's, 'Find a Builder' campaign has been running throughout England and Wales and provides ten top tips to follow when looking for a builder.

National Federation of Builders
10th Feb 2011 at 9:10 am

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