Ahead of the Autumn Statement on 22nd November, the Mineral Products Association (MPA) has written to Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt urging the Government to invest in Britain’s infrastructure rather than accepting a managed decline.
Prompted by the Government’s decision to cancel Phase 2 of HS2, compounding already poor delivery of UK infrastructure projects (including Road Investment Strategies 1 and 2), the MPA’s letter sets out how the mineral products sector relies on the UK being a competitive place to invest.
But the MPA expresses concern that poor delivery of UK public infrastructure projects is significantly affecting investor confidence. With a turnover of £22 billion, the UK construction materials and industrial minerals sector represents the biggest flow of materials in the UK economy.
Beyond project delivery, MPA is also calling on the Government to set the right policy framework to support continued investment in the essential UK mineral preoducts sector. For example, a top priority in this Autumn Statement is a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) which the MPA wants to see come into force in 2026 to match the EU’s equivalent policy, providing a ‘level playing field’ on carbon cost for materials like cement.
Jon Prichard, MPA Chief Executive, said: “Our industry has the potential to grow – and to support growth in other UK sectors – while at the same time responding to the challenges of decarbonisation and leading the transition to net zero. We also make a significant contribution to levelling up the economy across the UK.
“We have great capability and we stand ready to deliver the essential materials required for the modern infrastructure, buildings and homes that Britain needs as part of a growing economy. We therefore urge the Chancellor to show commitment to investing in the infrastructure that underpins and supports growth, rather than accepting a managed decline.”
Ends.
About the Mineral Products Association:
The Mineral Products Association (MPA) is the trade association for the aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, dimension stone, lime, mortar and industrial sand industries. With the merger of British Precast, and affiliation of the British Association of Reinforcement (BAR), the British Calcium Carbonate Federation, the Cement Admixtures Association (CAA), CONSTRUCT, Eurobitume, MPA Northern Ireland, MPA Scotland and the UK Quality Ash Association (UKQAA), it has a growing membership of 520 companies and is the sectoral voice for mineral products. MPA membership is made up of the vast majority of independent SME quarrying companies throughout the UK, as well as the 9 major international and global companies. It covers 100% of UK cement and lime production, 90% of GB aggregates production, 95% of asphalt and over 70% of ready-mixed concrete and precast concrete production. In 2021, the industry supplied £22 billion worth of materials and services to the Economy. It is also the largest supplier to the construction industry, which had annual output valued at £178 billion. Industry production represents the largest materials flow in the UK economy and is also one of the largest manufacturing sectors. www.mineralproducts.org
For media enquiries, contact Elizabeth Clements at: Elizabeth.Clements@mineralproducts.org ; tel: 07775 894 285