From rural poverty and regeneration to recruitment and renovation, Roxane McMeeken uncovers the burning issues that will decide which box gets your tick come the election

As politicians clambered into their helicopters to fly around the country, QS News has been surveying readers’ views ahead of next week’s General Election. This comes as a survey carried out by Building, the sister publication of QS News, found a majority of QSs would vote Conservative.

However, the straw poll that we conducted nationwide – from Cornwall to Orkney – found scant enthusiasm for any party, although most QSs felt that a Labour government would at least mean a steady flow of work, since the party was likely to continue spending on public services. This view wasn’t shared by everyone, though – QS Tim Siddons of Baker Wilkins, for example, argued that workload would not necessarily fall under a Conservative government, but could come from a different source – a boosted private sector.

What came out loud and clear from our survey was a wide range of issues being ignored by every party – from rural poverty in Cornwall and VAT on renovations in Orkney, to pressure on fees in Gloucestershire. Here’s what just a few of you had to say about the 2005 election…

The QS election survey

The majority of QSs have decided to vote for the Conservatives in the election next week, according to a survey by Building. Of the 63 QSs who shared their political views with us, 40% will be crossing the box marked Conservative. Support from Labour was reasonably strong nonetheless, with 35% of respondents saying they would want to retain the existing Government.

Of the remainder of those polled, 13% were planning to vote for the Liberal Democrats and 11% for other parties.

The lion’s share of QSs (51%) said Labour still had the best policies for the construction industry, despite their overall support for the Conservative party.

When asked how satisfied they were with the Labour Government, it was clear that the party has a lot of disillusioned voters, as 37% were “fairly satisfied”, while 33% were “dissatisfied”. Public spending emerged as the single most important issue to QSs, closely followed by regulation and red tape.

Who will you vote for in the 2005 election?
40% Conservative
35% Labour
13% Lib Dem
11% Other

Who has the best policies for the construction industry?
51% Labour
33% Conservative
9.5% Lib Dem
6% Other

How satisfied are you with Labour’s performance?
37% Fairly Satisfied
33% Dissatisfied
12% Very Dissatisfied
11% Neutral
3% Very satisfied

Is construction well represented within government?
92% No
8% Yes

Adrian Aston, director, Wakemans, Birmingham

“I would like a more realistic approach to planning. The Environment Agency seems to be classifying certain areas as flood plains, and as a consequence you can’t build there. This fails to take into account flood compensation plans or flood-proofing.

“Also, the infrastructure needed to support housing planning needs far more thought, to take into account schools, transport and healthcare. And there’s confusion over waste management regulations coming into force in July.”

Steve Austin, director, Complete Construction Management, Cheltenham

“I'd like the government to invest in more small businesses. In Gloucester and Worcestershire, local government contracts often go to large conglomerates. More money should be poured into housing, too. We do an awful lot of work for housing associations, but they have a lot less money to spend these days.”

Douglas Cawley, head, Douglas Cawley, Cornwall

“I'm doing new building work in Cornwall, as the ODPM has made planning permission easier to obtain. But I feel rural poverty is overlooked. In Cornwall, we are on the same economic footing as Sicily or Southern Spain.

Regeneration must be handled carefully, though. Brownfield sites are often next to beauty spots, so John Prescott's plans to redevelop all of them could prove disastrous. Overall, I don’t favour any particular party.”

John Stockan, co-founder, Pentarq, Orkney

“I would like to see the Tories get in, but think a Labour government would be best for the industry, as so much work comes through their government departments.

“But VAT on construction work is over-complicated. Renovation suffers the full whack, so many old buildings just fall into disrepair.

“Another problem is that local authorities end up spending their budgets on daft things, due to pressure to account for everything before the end of the financial year – why shouldn’t councils be allowed to carry the money forward?”

David Heron, project manager, Summers-Inman, Glasgow and Newcastle

“The Conservative party has made it clear they will cut public-sector spending, but Labour will invest more in infrastructure, training and hospitals, all of which will benefit the construction industry.

“We are severely lacking skilled craftsmen and tradesmen, so Tony Blair needs to address this shortfall. We should recruit workers from abroad if required – I have no problem with that.

“We’ve had fairly sustained growth over the last 10 years and there is no sign of a slow-down, so I don’t think we should rock the boat. Compared to Labour, the other parties are useless.”

Tim Siddons, partner, Baker Wilkins, London

“If the Conservatives won the election, I think most property developers would be celebrating. Although the party’s departments would spend less, this would probably still be good for the industry on balance, as it would set tax incentives to encourage businesses to spend more.

“The construction minister Nigel Griffiths has a very low profile – I can't recall seeing him at an industry event. I’m sure the party would have no trouble replacing him with a more flamboyant character. But I don’t think there’ll be a change of government.”

Source

QS News