15 Jun Get your MP into the APPG for the Timber Industries
The Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) are relaunching the APPG for the Timber Industries with an Inaugural General Meeting on Monday 5 July 15:00 to 16:00. If you think your MP should be a part of this APPG we need you to let them know by writing to them.
While in the timber industry we know the benefits of building with wood and how our businesses bring economic prosperity in every region of the UK, not all politicians are aware. With the launch of the APPG we are making a channel to put timber centre stage.
The APPG will only succeed if we have the best politicians from it, and you will benefit if you have an MP from your constituency. This is why we are calling on all our members, whichever association they are in, to write to their local MP to invite them to join the APPG.
This is because as a local business, employer, and members of MP’s community you have a powerful voice in their constituency; and remember it is up to us as an industry to tell the story of timber to our MPs – and do so loudly – if we are to be successful.
We must tell our MPs about the long term, stable employment in green jobs which we provide. The healthy, safe, warm, and beautiful low-carbon homes we build in their constituencies.
We must tell them how as an industry we can help them to reduce carbon emissions, and contribute to the economic, employment and housing targets of the UK.
To help you do this, we have distilled the core themes of how timber can support the Governments carbon, employment, and economic targets, as well as the polices we advocate for, into a briefing called #NetZeroNow, as well as a letter template to help you get in touch with your MP.
Remember, your competitors in construction do talk to their MPs, and they tell very different stories. We face fierce competition from other parts of the sector who aggressively push against sustainable construction and lobby politicians to push against higher standards or regulating embodied carbon.
We also make the point in #NetZeroNow that the UK does not wait till 2050 to become low carbon –in construction we can now by using timber. We also make need to make some serious policy suggestions to help grow the UK timber industry, your business, and place the construction industry on a road to net zero emissions.
Key polices in #NetZeroNow include embracing the advice of the Climate Change Committee to use more wood in construction, to create a preference for low-carbon, sustainable construction in UK Government procurement, and for tax incentives for the retrofit of existing buildings and MMC.
Please do this right now. As soon as you get to the end of this article, send them a letter. And let us know you do by sending a digital copy to lmacandrew@ttf.co.uk.
Do use the resources we have provided, including the letter template; but do personalise your letter to reflect the role of your business in the constituency, in supporting good jobs, and the importance of them joining the APPG to your business, and to you personally.
You can use your postcode, a place name or your location to search UK Parliament’s Find your MP service and find out the name of your MP and how to contact them. We look forward to hearing from you as we work together to advance timber construction.
