RCI NEWS
PEOPLE
Green Homes Grant is tied to TrustMark scheme
Any home energy saving
e cient doors
improvements that are carried
• Hot water tank/appliance
out under the government’s new
tank thermostats/heating
Green Homes Grant scheme
controls.
will have to be completed by a
TrustMark registered business.
Later this month, under the
scheme, homeowners in England
can apply for vouchers worth up
to two thirds of the cost of hiring
tradespeople to upgrade the
use the vouchers to install one or
energy e ciency of their home
more of the following:
– the maximum contribution
• Solid wall, underfl oor, cavity
will be £5,000, or for those on
wall or roof insulation
lower incomes, a 100% grant up
• Air source or ground source
to £10,000 will be available for
heat pump
certain work.
• Solar thermal.
As part of the government’s £2
In addition, property owners
billion investment to improve the
can use their voucher for further
energy e ciency of the nation’s
energy saving measures, which
homes, the vouchers will be issued
includes the following:
from the end of September.
• Double or triple glazing/
Running until the end of March
secondary glazing, when
2021, the Green Homes Grant
replacing single glazing
scheme will allow households to
• Upgrading to energy
Simon Ayers, chief executive
o cer of TrustMark, said: “The
home improvements carried out
under the Green Homes Grant
scheme will have greater levels
of technical standards, and is the
“kickstart” the construction sector
needs to help recover from the
coronavirus pandemic.
“The Green Homes Grant
scheme is an important step in
creating new jobs, and protecting
the existing and delivering low
carbon housing. As an industry,
we need to collaborate to support
the initiative, ensure businesses
are supported and consumers
can rely on the tradespeople that
carry out work in and around their
homes, making them fi t for the
future.”
OBITUARY: MARTIN JAMES,
FORMER RCI EDITOR
It is with great sadness
that former editor of RCI
magazine Martin James
has passed away.
Joining the
publication in the early
1980’s, Martin worked
on RCI for 25 years and was a well-loved
and respected editor.
Working alongside RCI’s advertising
manager at the time, Mike Pinkney,
Martin and Mike were described as the
‘Batman and Robin’ of the publishing world,
and quickly became a formidable force
together. With Martin’s technical know-how
as editor and Mike’s ‘Arthur Daley’ sales
approach, people couldn’t help but love the
duo whenever they met them.
Commenting on the news, Tony Brown,
advertising manager at RCI, said: “Having
worked alongside Martin towards the tail
end of his career, I could see why he was
loved so much by the industry and his
colleagues. He truly was a great character.”
Martin will be sincerely missed, and
our thoughts and condolences are with his
family at this di“ cult time.
KATE TINSLEY
JOINS MKM AS
ITS NEW CEO
MKM Building Supplies
has appointed Kate
Tinsley as its new chief
executive o“ cer (CEO). She
will take up her new role on 28 September.
Kate has worked in the construction
sector for over 20 years, with her most
recent role being that of divisional
managing director of Ibstock Clay. She was
also on the Ibstock Plc board.
Prior to this, Kate was with the Grafton
Group for seven years where she held senior
fi nance and operational roles, most notably
that of CEO of the Buildbase group of
companies. In addition to this, Kate is also a
non-executive director of the FA.
www.mkmbs.co.uk
Uncertainity for
construction sector
despite 'build' promise
The full impact of COVID-19 on
the UK economy is expected
to spell uncertainty for the
construction industry, according
to the Construction Products
Association’s (CPA's) latest
forecasting. This is despite the
government putting the industry
at the centre of its recovery plans.
Potential structural changes
to the UK economy brought
on by the pandemic, as well as
uncertainty around consumer
confi dence and unemployment
rates, could prove signifi cant to
construction activity returning to
pre-COVID growth rates.
Despite activity on-site
returning slightly quicker than
initially expected post-lockdown,
the CPA’s ‘Construction Industry
Scenarios – Summer 2020’ report
still anticipates construction
output in 2020 to fall by 20.6%,
with the worst a¦ ected sectors
including private housing (-33%)
and commercial (-29%).
The latest report points out
that returns to construction sites
from mid-May were largely to
drive completions on existing
projects and pent-up demand for
refurbishments that couldn’t take
place during the restrictions.
It points out that uncertainty
still remains around longer-term
demand and future orders given
the state of the wider economy.
SIG LIVE conference was a virtual hit
Almost 1,000 industry professionals signed up to watch the fi rst SIG
LIVE conference on 16 July, an event designed to introduce the new
SIG management team and demonstrate their commitment to driving
a customer-centric strategy for the company.
The live video conference was hosted by BBC TV presenter Dan
Walker who interviewed Steve Francis, chief executive o“ cer of SIG
Group, Philip Johns, UK managing director, and co-ordinated a panel
of SIG UK directors who answered customer questions. The event also
saw product and service breakout groups, covering a variety of topics.
Speaking about the event, Philip said: “SIG LIVE was a perfect
forum for us to explain the investment we have put in place and
the changes that allow us to service our customers better. We
were delighted with the interest generated by this event, which is
testament to the support for SIG in the marketplace.”
The event is available to view at www.sigconnected.co.uk.
RCI Show is given the green light
The recent government
announcement that business
events and conferences can
resume from 1 October, 2020,
provided rates of infection
remains at current levels, is a
welcome step as
we prepare for the
RCI Show, which is
due to take place
on 8-9 December
at the Ricoh Arena
in Coventry.
The RCI Show
provides the
ideal platform for
visitors to compare and source
new products, hear from industry
experts, and refresh relationships,
which have been on hold since
lockdown started.
A whole host of exhibitors
are waiting to meet you, plus
an extensive conference and
workshop programme will be
taking place across the
two-day event. From sca¦ olding
to fi xings, green roofs to liquid
roofi ng, insurance
to certifi cation, and
so much more, the
RCI Show will have
something for you.
Guidelines to public
gatherings continue to
evolve as life settles in
to the new normal. The
RCI Show team will be
following all recommendations, as
the health, safety and wellbeing
of its visitors, exhibitors and sta¦
remains its top priority.
For more details about the RCI
Show, visit www.rcishow.co.uk.
MICHAEL GWYNNE IN NEW
MARKETING ROLE
AAC Waterproofi ng has announced the
appointment of Michael Gwynne as head of
its marketing operations.
Andy Porter, managing director
of AAC Waterproofi ng, said: “We are
delighted to have Michael on board with
us. He will be responsible for developing
and implementing AAC Waterproofi ng’s
marketing strategy, and I have no doubt
his experience will be invaluable to us as we
move forward.”
www.aacwaterproofi ng.co.uk
06 www.rcimag.co.uk August 2020
/www.mkmbs.co.uk
/www.sigconnected.co.uk
/www.rcishow.co.uk
/www.aacwaterproofi
/ng.co.uk
/www.rcimag.co.uk
