The BMF has issued a rallying call to government, calling for urgent action to address the malaise in the house building sector.

Guests including MPs and policymakers heard about the major pressures affecting the industry at the Builders Merchants Federation’s annual Parliamentary reception.

Among those in attendance were The Rt Hon Caroline Nokes, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, Chris Curtis, Co-Chair of the Labour Growth Group, The Rt Hon Sir James Cleverly, Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Andrew Griffith, Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

As the fourth largest trade body in the construction sector, the BMF represents a £52 billion pound building materials supply chain, which employs over
200,000 people.

In his speech at the event, the BMF’s CEO, John Newcomb, described how the government’s flagship housing commitment has been hampered by planning capacity issues, regulatory delays like nutrient neutrality, insufficient skilled workers, and perhaps most notably, weak consumer confidence.

He said: “Fresh momentum is essential to deliver new homes of all types and tenures, built to higher standards, and affordable for people to buy or rent.

“The Planning and Infrastructure Act, which recently became law, should help unlock stalled projects in the medium term – but that might be too late.

“Young people, in particular, face increasing difficulty in getting onto the property ladder. Yet, for the first time in over 60 years, there is a noticeable absence of government support for first-time buyers, which has heightened frustration among aspiring homeowners.

“A new approach is needed to quickly restore momentum in the housing market and promote job creation.”

BMF manufacturing members have allocated, from 2024 to 2029, nearly £1.2 billion to expand capacity and capability across factories, production lines, and new processes to produce the materials and products that would support the government’s housing ambitions.

John Newcomb added: “Some of this investment is already underway. However, some remains to be committed, and timing is key.

“After three years of market stagnation, building products manufacturers need to be confident that the tide is now turning before pressing the go button.

“For instance, there is a clear link between brick sales and house building. In 2022, when more than 243,000 new homes were built, 2.5 billion bricks were sold. By 2025, with just 201,000 homes built, brick sales had fallen to 1.8 billion, a 26% decline.

“While our manufacturing members are well-positioned for an eventual recovery, given subdued demand and the additional costs of recent years, they are more likely to base production decisions on current volumes rather than future prospects – unless they have evidence that a change is imminent.

“And for those starting from a low baseline, it will take several months for production capacity to adjust to a significant increase in demand.”

The BMF called for targeted measures to galvanise the market and tackle the malaise in the building industry.

John Newcomb said: “We urge the Government to demonstrate its commitment to supporting the housing market, particularly for first-time buyers, through targeted stimulus measures, such as the

Freedom to Buy concept proposed by the Home Builders Federation.

“Support for aspiring homeowners would send a clear signal to our members to have the products ready to get Britain building again.

“We remain optimistic about the future and eager to support the Government’s housing agenda.”