The road to net zero in the built environment and the ongoing issue of tool theft from tradespeople’s vehicles were the main issues discussed.

One of the UKs largest independent plumbing and heating merchants, Williams Trade Supplies, hosted a constituency visit by Home Secretary Suella Braverman at its site in Fareham, Hampshire.

The MP for Fareham was welcomed by Ray Stafford, Martin Brown and Alex Peacock from Williams and Brett Amphlett from the Builders Merchants Federation.

The Home Secretary engaged on two core topics; the road to net zero in the built environment, and the ongoing issue of tool theft from tradespeople’s vehicles.

Focussing on the push to decarbonise space and water heating in residential properties through the installation of heat pumps through the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, Brown, Stafford and Amphlett underlined the need for policies to stimulate demand, and particularly to close the “spark gap”,  the cost difference between natural gas and electricity prices, as a key requirement to secure the support of property owners and to avoid loss of faith in heat pumps among the public.

The trio also stressed the need to train at least ten times more installers than the current DESNZ target of 6,000 to support the long term heat pump installations target, noting that most newly trained installers would not dedicate all their time to heat pump installations, but would use new skills to widen their offer, while still spending most of their time working for existing customers on traditional installations.

Conversation then turned to the issue of tool theft. On behalf of Van Watch, a cross industry, not-for-profit organisation campaigning against tool crime, Stafford took the Home Secretary through some statistics around tool crime and expressed appreciation on behalf of victim groups for the recent Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act.

Stafford asked for help in five key areas: more police resources dedicated to investigating tool crime, changes to sentencing guidelines, pressure on vehicle manufacturers to improve load-space security, requirements on electronic platforms to do more to prevent the reselling of stolen goods, and more consistent police record keeping.

Braverman said: “It was very useful to meet with a Hampshire business from a sector which will be at the sharp end of delivering the low carbon agenda, and to hear first-hand from Ray, Martin and Brett about some of the practical issues influencing how householders embrace new technologies, and to learn about the real-life challenges in upskilling the workforce to deliver key programs.”

Commenting on the Van Watch campaign, the Home Secretary applauded the industry for its initiatives to bring down the frequency and mitigate the harm caused by this type of crime and spoke of the need for improvements in the approach to policing and sentencing of acquisitive crime.

“All victims of theft deserve more from the police and justice system than simply a crime number, and they should expect all reasonable lines of enquiry should be followed up,” she added.

Stafford said: “We are delighted to welcome Suella both in her capacity as our local MP and in her role as Home Secretary. This is a critical time for our industry, and we look forward to working closely with government on designing a practical programme for decarbonising the nation’s homes, as well as tackling crimes against the livelihoods of the skilled workers who will deliver that programme.”

Braverman’s visit was another arranged by the BMF as part of its industry and parliament programme. The aim is to show MPs the role, value and importance of merchants in delivering for their communities and creating local jobs and growth.