The work of builders’ merchants in supplying the materials necessary to help to build 1½ million new homes, improve existing dwellings and improve resilience against flooding were all on the agenda during a recent BMF-arranged constituency visit by Toby Perkins MP.
The MP for Chesterfield called into his local Huws Gray Building Supplies branch in a visit coinciding with the firm’s 35th anniversary. Welcomed by Area Director Mark Walters and Branch Manager David Oldfield, alongside the BMF’s Brett Amphlett, he was shown the building materials and home improvement products available to the merchant’s customers throughout its 250-branch network in England, Wales & Scotland.
The visit was timed with #Flood Action Week in which the Environment Agency and BMF members like Huws Gray were promoting ‘Be Flood Ready’. This annual campaign seeks to raise awareness of flood risk and resilience – and the practical steps that households, businesses and local communities can take to prepare and protect their property.
Merchants and manufacturers want to grow the market for the materials and products used in local property-level resilience – notably anti-flood air bricks & air brick covers and non-return back-flow valves. Lee Pashley, Managing Director of Fernco, was also in attendance to show Mr Perkins some of the vital products the supplier manufactures in Barnsley.
Mark Walters, Huws Gray Area Director, commented: “It is really important to Huws Gray that we recognise and respond to tomorrow’s challenges that our customers face here and throughout the East Midlands. This means striving to operate in the most sustainable way possible and guiding our customers to incorporate energy efficiency and water conservation in their house-building and renovation projects.
“Surface water flooding, when heavy rainfall overwhelms drainage systems, is a growing threat. We have direct local experience of that here in Chesterfield and Derby when Storm Babet hit two years’ ago. The adoption of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems at property level, such as permeable paving and rain gardens, will help to reduce the risk of surface water flooding.”
Toby Perkins MP said: “I was pleased to visit Huws Gray and congratulate them on reaching their 35th anniversary. I thank David Oldfield and his team for offering my constituents their expert advice to make the correct choice of building materials and home improvement products when carrying out local works.
“I was encouraged to hear how the business is embracing the concept of sustainability in the built environment and stocking the trade essentials and value-added products required as we move towards a low-carbon economy. I thank Huws Gray for their contribution to not only Chesterfield’s economy, but also more widely around Derbyshire and beyond.”
The MP’s visit took place a week after two major reports about flooding were published.
In the first, the House of Commons’ Environmental Audit Committee recommended the establishment of a single national flood reporting & information service. The EAC is chaired by Mr Perkins and this cross-party group of MPs warns many communities still do not know who is responsible for managing flood risk where they live. There is no single point of national accountability – with responsibilities fragmented and coordination inconsistent – which undermines trust and causes delays.
The second was Professor Peter Bonfield’s Review of Property Flood Resilience which concluded that strong leadership from government, housebuilders, insurers and flood action groups is vital to ensure homes are better protected from flooding. This Review, commissioned by the Environment Agency, brought together civil engineers, flood risk managers, insurers, mortgage lenders and others – including builders’ merchants – who all have an important role in improving property flood resilience.
Brett Amphlett, BMF Policy Manager and one of the Leadership Group for the Bonfield Review, arranged Mr Perkins’ visit. It was another in a series as part of the BMF’s industry and parliament programme which aim to show MPs the role, value and importance of merchants in delivering for their customers and helping to grow local economies.
Main image (top): Lee Pashley shows Toby Perkins MP a Fernco anti-flood air brick.
