Reduce red tape, says association president

Charles Sherborne, president of the Hants & Dorset Timber Trade Association, has praised the work of the Timber Trade Federation, while at the same time calling on it to control the red tape placed on companies.

Speaking at the association’s annual dinner in Bournemouth on Friday, Mr Sherborne said that trade associations, whether national or local, must make it easy to trade in timber.

“The TTF must be careful not to increase administrative burdens; it must strive to encourage the government and NGOs to reduce time-consuming regulations,” he said, citing employment law, in particular, as “an absolute minefield”.

While it was not possible for a trade association “to please all of its members all of the time”, it was possible to please some of them some of the time.

Mr Sherborne said membership of a national or local trade association had many benefits, including talking to other people in the trade.

While acknowledging that the TTF “has had its problems”, it was an excellent organisation, he said.