Government Listens to CFA and Members on Flooring

By Richard Catt, CFA CEO

In the wake of Grenfell, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in the UK Government is reshaping how the built environment workforce is trained, recognised and held accountable. Its call for evidence, ‘Strategy for the Built Environment Professions, Trades and Occupations’, asked 79 questions spanning the full building lifecycle, from design through to occupation and maintenance.

Flooring rarely gets a seat at tables like this. Subcontracted deep in the supply chain, our sector knows the realities of risk transfer, retention withholding and price-led procurement all too well. So, on 4th August 2026, the Contract Flooring Association (CFA) submitted its own response, shaped by direct member experience, covering design and specification, site conditions, competence and accountability.

We argued against blanket statutory licensing and instead made the case for building on what already works: CFA membership, the CSCS framework, and proportionate, sector-recognised competence schemes. We asked Government to recognise trade bodies like ours as delivery partners, not to duplicate what already exists.

This is exactly the kind of work CFA does on members’ behalf: engaging with Government, building the evidence base, and making sure flooring’s voice is heard before decisions are made, not after.

Members are seeing more of this work first, including the detail behind our submission, briefings from Build UK and the CLC, and the chance to help shape our position as the strategy develops. If you’re already a member, look out for more in the Members’ Area.

If you’re not, this is exactly why it’s worth joining. When policy decisions get made, CFA members are in the room, briefed early and able to influence the outcome, not simply told about it afterwards.

Join the CFA at www.cfa.org.uk.

CFA provides further information in its member-only monthly newsletter. CFA members can access current and archived editions of the newsletter through the Members’ Area. To learn more about joining the CFA, visit: www.cfa.org.uk/Join-the-Contract-Flooring-Association-Become-a-Member/

For more information on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Government Progress Report, see the latest update on the UK Government website, alongside a final report from the interim Chief Construction Adviser, Thouria Istephan, summarising the work she has conducted over the course of her term.