The Mineral Products Association (MPA) has called on the Government to extend its revised public procurement rules to cover UK-produced building stone and other materials supplied through smaller contracts.
The trade body made the call following the Government’s announcement of changes to procurement policy aimed at giving greater weight to UK businesses and jobs when awarding public contracts worth more than £5m.
Newly appointed MPA Chief Executive Paul Adeleke said the changes should go further to support domestic producers of dimension stone, which he said risk being overlooked under the current threshold.
MPA urges wider procurement support for UK materials
Adeleke has written to Housing Secretary Angela Rayner, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Cabinet Office Minister Louise Haigh calling for UK-sourced materials to be included in the Government’s programme to increase construction activity.
The MPA said the current approach could leave smaller contracts for materials such as building stone outside the scope of the revised procurement rules, potentially allowing overseas suppliers to continue winning work.
The association represents producers across the mineral products sector, including the companies supplying materials used in construction and infrastructure projects.
Adeleke said: “We welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to UK business in public procurement, but the weighting for businesses that sustain UK jobs should be extended to contracts below £5m to have the right impact with local producers.
He also raised concerns over the increasing use of imported stone in UK developments and public realm projects.
“There have been too many recent examples of imported stone being used in place of UK stone in streetscapes across the UK, including Portuguese limestone replacing Portland stone in London, and Angolan granite being used in place of Scottish whinstone in Glasgow. This cannot be right.”
Imported stone accounts for 80% of market
The MPA said imported products now account for around 80% of the UK building stone market, putting pressure on domestic quarries.
The organisation said the country’s remaining dimension stone producers supply materials used in both heritage projects and new developments, with demand from housing, public spaces and civic buildings important to maintaining the viability of the sector.
The UK’s geology has historically influenced the appearance of towns and cities, with locally quarried materials contributing to regional architectural character.
The MPA said supporting domestic stone production would also help sustain employment in rural areas, where many quarries are based.
Adeleke added: “Our building stone sector is coming under increasing pressure from foreign imports, that now account for some 80% of the market.
“The Prime Minister has said he wants to preserve ‘sovereign manufacturing’ and the UK’s dimension stone industry is a prime example.
“And besides the supply of domestic materials, our members support highly-skilled and well-paying jobs in rural communities across different UK regions.”
