CPA Bulletin

22 CPA Bulletin > February 2024 www.cpa.uk.net Politically, if 2023 was the year that the government, and Rishi Sunak in particular, took the opportunity to stabilise the economy and provide a degree of competent government, then this year, is one where we can expect a general election, a chance for the people to have their say. But what does the coming year look like for construction and the plant-hire sector in particular - especially when promises will be made, and each political party will be looking for the business vote. The announcement, across Christmas, that the Budget will be held on 6th March, set tongues wagging across Westminster, that we could expect a Spring election. While, in a subsequent Q&A, the Prime Minister seemed to rule this out, with his ‘working assumption’ that the election would be in the second part of the year, he also crucially, did not rule out an election in May or June. The guessing game continues. With the announcement of the date for the Budget, we also saw confirmation that the long-awaited Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) consultation on the likely decarbonisation options of NRMM (Non-Road Mobile Machinery) equipment, had been published. The consultation is an opportunity for construction equipment users and manufacturers, to have their say on how the NRMM sector can reduce the use of diesel-powered equipment, as part of the government’s wider moves to reach net zero by 2050. The government is keen to hear from as many companies as possible, with the call for evidence looking at the following areas: • How NRMM is currently used across the economy • The decarbonisation options available to NRMM, including efficiency measures, process changes, and fuel switching technologies • The possible opportunities and barriers to deploying decarbonisation options • Whether existing policies are sufficient to decarbonise NRMM in line with net zero • Whether the Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy policy principles should also apply in determining the case for further government intervention to support NRMM decarbonisation. Please see the link to the consultation page at https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/non-road- mobile-machinery-decarbonisation-options The CPA will be responding directly to the consultation, and while we would encourage as many companies as possible from the plant-hire sector, to take part and reply directly to the consultation, we appreciate this might not always be possible. With this in mind, the CPA would be keen to hear frommembers, with their views on the following areas: • Are you actively taking steps to move away from diesel powered equipment and fossil fuels, towards alternatives such as HVO, or electric/battery powered equipment? • What is stopping you from decarbonising your fleet - is it cost of alternative fuels and equipment, the current economic environment, lack of investment incentives available, reliability and performance of alternative fuelled equipment? POLICY: 1 POLICY 2024 - A new year for engagement and opportunity?