Government is damaging its relationship with the industry says former construction minister
Nick Raynsford has written to prime minister Gordon Brown to express his disappointment over the 'merry-go-round' of construction ministers in the past six years
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Raynsford, a former construction minister and current Chairman of the Construction Industry Council, said the changes had been 'damaging' to the government’s relationship with the construction industry.
There have been six construction minister since Raynsford left after the 2001 election. Last construction minister Stephen Timms was in the job for seven months before the government replaced him with Shriti Vadera last week.
Raynsford said: 'However hard they work to build relationships and confidence – and Stephen tried very hard indeed – the task is simply unrealistic if they are not given time to make a mark. Getting to know the key players and understanding their interrelationships is not something that can be successfully accomplished in a matter of months.'
Writing about the recent appointment of Vadera, he said: "I am sure that Shriti Vadera if her portfolio includes construction will, like her predecessor, do her utmost to develop contacts and build relationships with the key players in the industry. But her task will be made more difficult because industry leaders increasingly feel that the government is not according them the attention they believe they deserve."
The letter ends with a statement about how “damaging” the actions have been.
"I am sorry to have to write in these terms but I cannot conceal just how damaging the recent merry-go-round of Ministers has been to the government’s relationships with one of the country’s most important industries."
