Robert Price MBE has been appointed as the new president of the Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors (APHC). In his inaugural speech at the Presidents' Dinner on Saturday 15 June, he called for an end to the bureaucratic burden placed on plumbing and heating contractors by government initiatives.

Mr Price (pictured) has devoted 40 years to the Association and has also served in the wider plumbing industry. He said: “Over recent years we have seen the introduction of government initiatives, mainly in the form of new schemes that seek to eliminate the rogue trader from the marketplace. The management systems, processes and training requirements that these initiatives lay down are placing significant burden on the small- to medium-sized plumbing and heating contractors in particular. These developments are set against only limited promotion to the customer and a free market approach where enforcement of regulatory requirements is considered to be weak.

“I would therefore like to call on our senior industry representatives present to work together to look at developing a more equitable solution for addressing the competency requirements of businesses and operatives in our industry. In doing so, our aim should be to establish an environment in which businesses can profitably trade and customers can have assurance as to the quality of work carried out for them. I am greatly encouraged by the work undertaken by the various industry bodies in developing the WaterSafe Scheme and I believe that many of its principles could be transferred to other areas of work falling under the scope of the plumbing and heating industry.”