The Cast Metals Federation (CMF) is urging the UK Government to recognise the strategic importance of the cast metals industry by ensuring foundries are included in the new British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme (BICS) – a scheme expected to deliver a £35–£40/MWh reduction in electricity costs (around 25%) for eligible manufacturing sectors.
Although cast metals underpin many of the UK’s priority industrial capabilities, foundries have largely been omitted from the proposed list of supported sectors.
CMF is now moving rapidly to press Government to reconsider this decision, as well as supporting calls to bring forward the implementation date of BICS and explore backdating reductions to 2025.
Call for evidence: CMF asks members to act now
To make the strongest possible case to Government, CMF is seeking immediate input from member foundries.
Members are asked to complete a short consultation document identifying the percentage of output supplied into the Government’s strategic sectors, as both:
- The five strategic sectors relevant to manufacturing
- The more detailed list of international Harmonised System (HS) product codes that Government is proposing to use to exempt manufacturers at product level
Members are asked to return the completed document by 10 December.
CLICK HERE >> to complete the CMF BICS Foundry Consultation
CMF will prepare and submit a detailed response to the Government consultation, which closes on 19 January. Foundries are also encouraged to submit their own responses directly (with questions 2 and 3 being most foundry-relevant; please also forward any submissions to admin@cmfed.co.uk):
CLICK HERE >> to also access the Government consultation
Once sufficient evidence has been collected, CMF will provide a template letter and additional information for members to use in directly liaising with their MPs and other stakeholders.
Sovereign and strategic capability
Emphasising the importance of member engagement with this consultation, CMF chief executive Lee Marshall said: “BICS will deliver a major reduction in energy costs for qualifying manufacturers so it is vital that cast metals, as a sovereign and strategic enabling capability for critical UK sectors, is included.
“Last week’s successful outcome from the Landfill Tax consultation demonstrated the importance of member evidence in influencing Government decisions.
“We are confident that a broad, evidence-rich submission from across the industry will strengthen our hand in securing foundries’ inclusion in BICS.”
