Continuing delays at Gateway 2 are increasing pressure on cashflow and putting the construction supply chain at risk, according to the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGF).
The warning was made by GGF president Mike Butterick of the at the launch of The Glass and Glazing Collective at the Houses of Parliament on October 28.
Speaking to an audience of politicians, including keynote speaker Chris McDonald, Minister for Industry in the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), and industry drawn from glass manufacturing, processing, recyclers and the wider construction sector, Mike warned that companies were going out of business despite having healthy order books.
He said while the GGF and its members were fully supportive of the regulatory and legislative framework regarding Gateway 2 and were committed to improving safety and compliance in buildings, it was also important that the government held up its side of the bargain by making sure that regulators were properly resourced.
The Building Safety Regulator in still has 91 historic newbuild applications waiting for Gateway 2 approval.
“The frameworks were put in place to improve safety and quality of buildings. They were not put in place to reduce economic activity at a time when we all want economic growth,” Mike said.
He also set out the GGF’s position on VAT on windows and doors arguing it should be rated at the same level as other insulating building products and renewables.
He argued that homeowners needed to be incentivised to replace many older double-glazed windows and doors which might look good, but which fell significantly short of today’s high performing windows and doors.
The Glass & Glazing Collective is a broad-church collaboration between the GGF, British Glass, Glass Futures and the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London.