The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Cymru have published manifestos that outline key priorities for devolved governments.
CIOB’s manifestos for Wales and Scotland have been published ahead of the nations’ upcoming elections.
The manifesto for Scotland sets out three priority areas where CIOB believes urgent, cross-portfolio action is needed from the next Scottish Government to better support the nation’s construction and built environment sector.
The three priorities relate to retrofitting and energy efficiency, the construction skills gap, and building quality and safety.
In the manifesto, CIOB calls for more joined-up thinking across future government departments to overcome ongoing issues caused by policy being developed in siloes, which it says have real-world consequences for the built environment sector, such as ineffective policies, slow delivery, and overinflated costs.
CIOB says these issues often mean poor outcomes for Scotland’s households as well as the environment, employers, and those aspiring to work in the industry.
CIOB’s manifesto priorities for the next Scottish government
- Establish a ministerial oversight group on retrofit.
- Develop a National Retrofit Delivery and Resource Plan.
Develop a Construction Skills Action Plan which:
- takes a long-term, demand-led view of skills needs across the built environment;
- aligns education policy, funding, and curriculum provision with delivery requirements;
- addresses barriers to apprenticeships for both employers and learners;
- supports upskilling of the existing workforce, including green and retrofit skills.
Priority 3 – Building quality and safety
- Establish clear frameworks for building safety and maintenance.
- Explore a demolition levy to fund urgent safety and maintenance works and incentivise repair, maintenance and improvement works, in addition to addressing VAT-related cost imbalances.
Complex challenges
Jocelyne Fleming, who leads CIOB’s policy and public affairs work in Scotland, insisted Scotland’s challenges in housing, climate change, and building safety are not the result of a lack of ambition.
“They are the result of systems that are not designed to deliver complex change at pace and scale,” she said.
“Our three key priorities, if addressed by the next government, will go a long way toward cutting consumer energy bills and reducing rates of fuel poverty, decarbonising the built environment to meet climate targets, getting more people into work, and, crucially, ensuring everyone has a warm, safe home.
“Our manifesto, based in a fundamental shift to a system-wide approach to policymaking, outlines clear, tangible actions the next government can take to move Scotland’s built environment policy from ambition to delivery.”
Priorities for Wales
CIOB’s manifesto for Wales outlines five priority areas, which relate to retrofitting, including its delivery and funding, procurement processes for public work and the construction skills gap.
The manifesto recommends practical steps future leaders can take to improve the construction sector to the benefit of Wales, which CIOB says is a “barometer” for the country’s economic landscape.
David Kirby, who leads CIOB’s policy and public affairs work in Wales, said: “The importance of the built environment continues to be acknowledged by policymakers of all levels and members of the public across Wales. However, since the last Senedd election in 2021, the sector continues to face challenges.
“The growing skills gap and recruitment issues alongside continued high energy costs, material costs, labour costs and a tough economy more widely, means the sector in Wales struggles when compared to the rest of the UK, and many construction companies have ceased trading as a result. This is particularly negatively impacting SMEs, which make up the majority of the Welsh construction sector.
CIOB’s manifesto priorities for the next Welsh government
Priority 1 – Retrofit and climate
- Develop and implement a retrofit plan for the private housing market, including owner-occupiers.
- Develop an environmental remediation and mitigation plan to protect the wider built environment and the people that use it from extreme weather events.
Priority 2 – Financing of retrofit measures
- Create financial incentives for retrofit measures for all housing tenures and types such as a zero interest ‘Help to Fix’ loan.
Priority 3 – Procurement
- Improve procurement processes for public work, including tender processes and ensuring they contain realistic time and cost aims.
- Ensure processes are fair to SMEs.
Priority 4 – Recruiting people into construction
- Adopt a more holistic view of construction skills, shifting the focus from just getting young people into the sector, to encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds into the sector.
- Work with the construction sector to improve training and retention of construction professionals from a range of backgrounds, for example ex-offenders and asylum-seekers.
Priority 5 – Construction skills survey
- Conduct a skills survey across Wales to identify what skills are needed and where to provide a clear picture and inform future decisions around training provision and funding.
Local builders
FMB Cymru has also unveiled its manifesto for Wales, outlining how the Welsh government can support the nation’s local builders.
The Builders’ Manifesto for Wales 2026, which will be officially launched at the Senedd on 4 February, calls for better support to tackle the housing crisis, decarbonise the nation’s ageing housing stock, address labour shortages and drive up competency in the industry.
The manifesto calls for a rebalancing of the housing market through stronger support for local SME housebuilders.
FMB Cymru is urging the Welsh government to set ambitious national housing targets across all tenures, mandate the allocation of small sites in development plans, raise the threshold for major developments to 50 units, and provide access to finance for the pre-planning phase of housebuilding.
As part of the manifesto, there is also a focus on existing homes, highlighting a clear need to develop a long-term retrofit plan for the industry.
Skills shortages
FMB Cymru has warned that the sector needs an additional 2,200 skilled workers each year to meet demand, but it is currently losing around 300 workers annually.
According to the manifesto, with one-third of workers over 45 and only 20% aged 16 to 24, the replacement pipeline is dangerously thin.
FMB Cymru has set out the need for a national construction skills strategy, a rebalancing of Welsh government funding to provide incentives for SMEs to employ apprentices, and a shift towards outcome-based funding that rewards successful progression into employment.
The manifesto also presses for the introduction of a licensing scheme to address the challenges posed by rogue builders, who undercut reputable builders, erode public trust, and devalue skilled work. FMB research found that one in 10 homeowners in Wales had been affected by disreputable builders in the last five years alone.
Ifan Glyn, FMB Cymru director, said: “A strong construction sector is fundamental to Wales’ future, and builders must be backed. A workforce of local, skilled tradespeople keeps our communities thriving and our economy moving.
“We need to train the next generation, offer secure careers, and provide clear pathways of opportunity for people entering the construction industry in Wales.
“The Builders’ Manifesto for Wales 2026 sets out a practical, pro-growth agenda to help deliver more homes, improve the current stock, raise standards of competence, and create high-quality jobs.”
