Colin Harding (Letters, 11 February, page 39) is often blunt but always, in my opinion, right in his criticism of our industry’s federations and the plight in which we “small builders” constantly find ourselves.

Roy Wakeman’s comments (14 January, page 37), on the other hand, show that the Construction Confederation and others are still run by the big boys, just as the old National Federation of Building Trades Employers was. Wakeman’s comments about the “good times” in the industry are not in step with the experiences of companies of our size (we have 50 employees and a turnover of £3.5m). We survived the recession but there is still little profit for the hard work and risks we take. I know that applies to many industries nowadays – I’m not playing the fiddle or looking for sympathy. We have a choice, but after four generations in business I don’t see a bright future for companies of our size. We need help and guidance from our federations and need to be listened to – not just told how well our big brothers are doing.

Chris Charles, managing director, JP Charles and Sons

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