Twilight Talks

The Green Register's early evening talks supported by Ecomerchant: together promoting ethical, healthy sustainable building materials

On the second Monday of each month The Green Register brings you our Twilight Talks - a relaxed and informal string of events on sustainable building matters to complement our regular training topics.

Each one-hour event is FREE of charge and features short talks from one or more speakers. With Q&A and discussion sessions throughout, everyone is invited to be part of the conversation. We hold Twilight talks at 5-6pm, in the sweet spot between work and dinner – so join us to nourish the mind before replenishing the body!

Licence to Build; how you can find a quality builder for your next project (Online)

In the UK, anyone can call themselves a builder, regardless of training, skill, or experience. No tests, no proof of competence, just tools in hand and access to your property. This means construction work is of variable quality and can create problems for residents whilst not delivering the results they wished for. This damages trust in the industry and undermines the reputation of every skilled professional delivering high quality work. 

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) undertook research which found that in the last five years UK homeowners have lost over £14billion to rogue builders. In addition, billions of pounds are not entering the economy as homeowners are holding off commissioning work due to concerns about poor workmanship.  

The FMB is campaigning to raise the bar with the introduction of a national licensing scheme requiring every builder to meet minimum professional standards before working on site. Iain will describe the Licence to Build campaign along with other avenues homeowners can pursue to help find a quality builder. 

Join us to debate the benefits and challenges of such a scheme, public perceptions of the industry and the drivers for quality.

About the Speakers

Iain Kirtley

Iain Kirtley is the Federation of Master Builder's South region Director where he supports, promotes and represents the region's 1,900 members. The FMB is the UK's largest construction trade association with over 6,500 members who've all been vetted, inspected and must adhere to a strict code of conduct. Iain, along with the FMB, champions quality construction and helping homeowners benefit from using a Master Builder.  

Twilight Talks are supported by Ecomerchant.