Sharma plans to emphasise the role builders’ merchants play in getting more homes built in the UK.
Housing and Planning Minister Alok Sharma (pictured) has welcomed plans by brick manufacturer Ibstock to invest £50m in a new factory in Leicestershire.
Sharma plans to emphasise the role builders’ merchants play in getting more homes built in the UK.
Sharma said: “Delivering more homes is a key priority for this government.
“Ibstock’s major investment at their Leicestershire site is fantastic news for the building materials industry, demonstrating continuing confidence in this sector and growing consumer demand.
“I congratulate the resilient performance of UK builders’ merchants over this year, and I look forward to working with the sector to put into action the far-reaching reforms of the Housing White Paper.”
This comes as the latest figures from the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) show sales in Q2 2017 were 5.3% higher compared to the same period last year.
Wayne Sheppard, chief executive at Ibstock, added: “We’re incredibly proud to be making such a significant investment in our Leicestershire site and welcome the housing ministers positive comments about Ibstock’s investment.
“We are pleased to see the government recognise the important role that the building materials supply chain plays in providing essential materials to support housing growth and growing the economy across the country.”
