BESA takes five-point building services manifesto to Downing Street

The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has presented a manifesto at 10 Downing Street setting out five priorities it wants the government to adopt to meet its goals on housing supply, public services and net zero.

The document, titled Building Britain's Future, is described by BESA as a practical programme for government to unlock the potential of the UK building engineering services sector.

BESA president Anna Shephard presented it alongside chief executive David Frise, president-elect Nick Mead and vice-president Paul Eagle, the association said in an announcement published on 20 October. BESA's manifesto page gives the date of the Downing Street visit as 1 October 2026.

"Building engineering services are central to the government's major growth ambitions," Shephard said. Shephard was elected BESA president for 2026/27 in an announcement on 29 September.

The five priorities

The first priority is building safety. BESA asks for a clear, proportionate and effective regulatory system in which competence can be demonstrated, leading to safer buildings.

The second calls for a thriving business environment, with fair payment, responsible procurement and long-term policy certainty to unlock investment, productivity and stronger supply chains.

The third asks government to invest in apprenticeships, technical education, lifelong learning and the next generation of building engineering professionals.

The fourth covers energy security, net zero and retrofit. BESA wants government to improve the performance of Britain's buildings, accelerate retrofit and give industry the certainty to invest in a lower-carbon future.

The fifth is healthy buildings. BESA says better ventilation, indoor air quality and building performance can create healthier homes, schools, hospitals and workplaces.

BESA urged the government to work with the sector to turn the five priorities into practical actions.

"There is enormous, unrealised potential in building engineering services," Frise said. He added that, given the right investment and business conditions, the sector could help drive economic growth, support health and wellbeing and provide job opportunities for present and future generations.

Who is making the case

BESA describes building engineering services as critical national infrastructure on its manifesto page, and says that none of the government's ambitions on growth, housing supply and public services happens without them. The association has said building services now account for more than 50% of the value of most construction projects.

According to BESA, it has more than 700 member contractors, 95% of which are SMEs, with a combined annual turnover of £4.3bn. It also has 55 manufacturer and distributor affiliate members.

The association was formerly known as the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association (HVCA). It says it has operated for more than 120 years, is owned by its members with no external shareholders, and covers the design, installation, commissioning, maintenance, control and management of engineering systems in buildings.

Policy background

Several of the manifesto's priorities relate to policy BESA has already responded to this year.

On fair payment, BESA welcomed the Small Business Protection (Late Payment) Bill announced in the King's Speech in May 2026.

On skills, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) committed a third round of funding through its heat training grant for BESA heat network training in August 2026. Jill Nicholls, BESA director of competence and compliance, said at the time that the third round was a significant statement of intent by the government.

On retrofit, the government's Warm Homes Plan, launched on 20 January 2026, commits £15bn of public investment to home upgrades. According to DESNZ, the plan aims to upgrade up to 5 million homes.

The full manifesto is published on BESA's website as a 23-page PDF.