Renewed All Party Parliamentary Group for Timber Industries meets at Westminster

The Confederation of Timber Industries (CTI) is delighted to announce the reconstitution of the Timber Industries All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), following the general election held on 8th June.

The renewed APPG held its first AGM on Wednesday 12th July at the House of Commons. Ian Paisley, MP for North Antrim, was re-elected as Chairman. Officers now include Joint Vice Chairman Bill Grant MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock (Conservatives), Joint Vice Chairman Martin Whitfield MP for East Lothian (Labour) and Joint Vice Chairman Andrew Bowie MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Conservative).

The BWF is one of the major trade associations drivers behind the CTI which aims to grow the UK Timber Industry promoting best practise and boosting a wide collaboration among the leading trade organisations and companies across the Supply Chain.

The Timber Industries APPG will help promote timber as the most sustainable and renewable building material and develop initiatives and economic measures to grow the whole UK Timber Industry supply chain. The Confederation of Timber Industries will assist Parliamentarians in their work by acting as the group's secretariat and providing relevant information and logistic support.

The timber sector is in the top 50% of manufacturing industries in the UK, attracting investment and supporting jobs across the manufacturing and construction sectors, and adding over £10 billion per year to the UK economy. Every constituency in the UK benefits from jobs provided by our sector, whether in construction, manufacturing or distribution.

Roy Wakeman OBE, Chairman of the CTI, said: “We are pleased to see such widespread, cross-party support for our Industry. The timber sector represents a major engine for the growth and development of the UK economy and, with the help of the Timber Industries APPG, we can deliver this message straight to key decision makers in Westminster. The CTI will be on hand to provide assistance and information to any MPs interested in the Industry, along with arranging regular visits to timber operations all over the country.”

A full program of meetings and events for the APPG will be published in September, after the summer recess.

A recap of the meeting including pictures, recordings and presentations can be found here.

Read more about the Timber Industries APPG here.