Commenting on the 2021 Autumn Budget, Chief Executive of NFRC (National Federation of Roofing Contractors), James Talman said:

“We are delighted that the Chancellor has listened to our calls to exempt plant and machinery used in onsite renewable energy generation and storage from business rates. The business rates system currently discourages investment in commercial rooftop solar PV, taking up 40 per cent of any potential cost savings.

“Commercial rooftop solar has huge potential—according to Solar Energy UK there are over 250,000 hectares of south-facing commercial roof space in the UK that could be used to deploy 30 GW of solar power, creating 2,600 green jobs a year. Today’s announcement will help make this a reality.

“We also welcome the Chancellor’s Business Rate Improvement Relief which will allow businesses to make property improvements and pay no extra relief for twelve months, and we look forward to seeing further details on what measures this will cover. We would also urge the Treasury to monitor the implementation of these business rate changes carefully to ensure that there isn’t a stagnation in investment whilst building owners wait until 2023.

“It was also good to see investment in training bootcamps and facilities for HGV drivers—the construction supply chain has been badly hit by HGV driver shortages, intensifying the material shortages the industry is facing."