Lloyd leads the fight against cowboy builders
February 15, 2011 12:07 PM
Stephen Lloyd, the MP for Eastbourne and Willingdon, lead a debate in Parliament today about the home building industry. Cowboy builders are responsible for more than 100,000 complaints every year according to the Consumer Rights Expert website, with research suggesting that an even higher number of people fall victim to conmen, but do not even bother to formally complain because they often feel too embarrassed. The elderly and the vulnerable make up a large proportion of those who fall victim to these unscrupulous traders, and for this reason Stephen is calling for a formal consultation into the merits of a compulsory licensing system for the construction industry.
Stephen said: "I come from a business background; I've run my own small company and worked in the corporate sector. I am not a politician whose default position is "let's have more regulation". However, we've all seen the numerous T.V programmes about cowboy builders; too many rogue traders across the U.K have been ripping people off for too long and giving legitimate tradesman a bad name. I feel that greater regulation in the building trade will not only serve to protect the public, but also help to restore faith in the vast majority of legitimate, hardworking and honest builders."
Ron Gainsford, Chief Executive of the Trading Standards Institute said: "With the rising aged population and increased home ownership, this is an area long overdue for strict legal control. Reports, leaflets and codes of practice are all positive means of educating consumers, but if we are to protect the vulnerable elderly person from the professional experienced conman we need firm action"
Consumer Affairs Minister Ed Davey said at the debate: "I appreciate my Hon friend, the member of Parliament for Eastbourne raising this important matter in Parliament. I know just how much work he has put in on behalf of elderly people in Eastbourne"
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