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The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) has launched its manifesto: ‘Engineering the UK’s prosperity’ to coincide with the unofficial launch of the general election campaign. The manifesto sets out how the consultancy and engineering industry can support the UK’s return to growth.
In the manifesto, ACE addresses various sectors such as energy, transport and water as well as looking at the economy, investment and sustainability. Each section provides recommendations for policymakers.
Nelson Ogunshakin, ACE’s chief executive, said: “Engineering has a vital role to play in helping Britain transform itself into a low carbon economy and ensure a consistent and sustainable economic recovery. As a recent report by the UK Construction Group showed for every £1 invested in construction a return of almost £3 is gained in terms of economic activity.”
The manifesto is part of ACE’s ongoing dialogue with Westminster, Whitehall and key industry stakeholders.
Nelson Ogunshakin added: “ACE’s aim is to support policymakers in engineering a prosperous and sustainable future business environment for the UK.”
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For press information please contact Simon Goldie on 020 7227 1892 or 07905 279328 – sgoldie@acenet.co.uk
Notes to editors
The manifesto was produced after extensive consultations with ACE members: more than 740 companies that employ almost 100,000 professionals across the country. It focuses on strategic and realistic recommendations in the areas of investment, housing, energy, transportation, water and sustainability. All aimed to jump start the UK economy.
ACE recommendations from its manifesto:
• ACE recommends that the government takes a long term approach to investing in the infrastructure and housing developments that the country needs.
• ACE recommends that improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings is given much greater prominence.
• ACE recommends that a new generation of power stations and carbon capture and storage technology is invested in, supported by a reformed, efficient planning system.
• ACE recommends that all developers and authorities study the lessons learned from the Ecotowns programme and instil the core principles in all future developments.
• A reformed planning system should facilitate the timely delivery of necessary developments while taking local needs fully into account. This would also reduce the risk of narrow interests dominating.
• ACE recommends that clients take specific steps to ensure that suppliers of all sizes have opportunities to compete for work, and that procurement is driven by whole-life costing and value.
• ACE recommends that alternative funding methods to the existing funding formulas are investigated, so that education funding better reflects the true costs of tuition.
• Transport has a key role to play in meeting the UK’s climate change objectives. However, policy must be more intelligent than simply reducing reliance on car usage. Policy should recognise that modal shift cannot occur unless viable alternatives are put in place, and that in some circumstances modal shift will not be possible.
• The government should ensure that regulators and water companies work together to plan for a continuous programme of capital works. This will ensure best value for money over the long term.
To read the manifesto, please click on this link.
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