The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has launched its manifesto for the 2015 general election at this year’s party conferences. The manifesto outlines NFB members’ key priorities for the next government and proposals for how these can be achieved.

The NFB believes that whoever leads the country after the next general election will have the opportunity to place construction at the heart of a long-term vision for the economy. The construction industry is a solid bet for public investment, returning £2.84 for every £1 invested and can be a world class leader in areas of sustainability and design. In order for the sector to flourish, the NFB has identified three key areas for action:

Housebuilding: homes for Britain

Britain needs around 245,000 new homes every year to meet the demands of the future. If we are going to achieve these numbers in the next parliament, the next government must ensure there is no rollback on making planning simpler, and a meaningful attempt to attract patient capital into the housing market.

Procurement: building smarter, building value

Public sector procurement is often an inefficient and expensive process. The NFB is keen for this to change and looks forward to working with the next government to simplify the procurement process, facilitating interested SME access to public contracts.

Industry investment and finance: long term stability for the future

The construction industry needs stable, sustainable investment to support industry growth. The NFB is calling for the next government to make lending to small businesses easier while ensuring larger investors can work with the construction industry and the public sector to support longer term projects.