A few months ago, I was contacted by one of my constituents Paula De Santana, who had been a victim of a rogue trader. As she was describing her story to me I realised that it mirrored my own story with a rouge Roofer, who had taken on work, not completed the job and left more damage which another trader had to come and rectify for an additional cost. I also had the added issue of scaffolding being left up at my home and I did not know who to contact to get it taken down, or what the additional cost would be.
This experience coupled with that of my Constituent led me to investigate what Government could do to help people find trader who was properly qualified. Kelly Tolhurst MP Business Minister has challenged the Federation of Master Builders to come up with a scheme which would work for both consumer and traders.
Both my constituent and I have been working with the Federation of Master Builders on the campaign to licence construction workers so that people know they are getting a certified trader when they book a job at their home. Rogue traders can happen to anyone and at the moment there is no way of finding out the legitimacy of the worker you book. If a licencing scheme is not introduced, we will be stuck in a vicious cycle where people keep falling foul to these rogue traders without any action being taken.
In my area there are hundreds of fantastic tradesman and this new scheme will ensure that they are the first in line to get work and that those without the proper qualifications will not be able to pray on further victims. This scheme should champion those with the proper qualifications and those tradespeople who go above and beyond to ensure the work they do for people is of a high standard.
I welcome the work that the Federation of Master Builders have put into the taskforce on this issue by ensuring that the scheme works in the best possible way for traders and ensures that those legitimate tradespeople are championed. It should also be a system which is simple and accessible for everyone to use so that rogue traders can be stamped out for good.