‘Part P’ or should it be ‘All Poo’
I have been running my own electrical contracting business for the past four years and have been Part P full scope with ELECSA before I transferred to NICEIC, big mistake, purely for marketing reasons as the NICEIC are more popular, (but certainly NOT the best). They have builders, plumbers in there as it’s easier to pass, hence more membership, more money for them.
Having paid my annual Part P fee and registering every job at £1.50+vat with Elecsa, it cost £3 with
NICEIC, £1.50 for LABC and £1.50 for consumers insurance which is compulsory with NICEIC. (Yes you pay your customers insurance for the work you have done.) With Elecsa it is an option and the consumer pays it if they want to, but not you. Another money making spinner for NICEIC and you guessed it, it’s NICEIC’s own insurance.
So Part P, does it work and if so, for who?
Well it’s a tough time out there with stiff competition and price’s dropping through the floor and competing with ‘non Part P’ registered, companies and individuals I was dropping my prices and still losing work and had to make 3 electricians redundant. It was time to get tough myself so I reported some of these Non registered’ electricians to Elecsa and NICEIC. Both were not interested as they told me they only administer Part P, not police it!!. One advised I report to the LABC, so I did.
The LABC told me that they will only look into it if safety or building regs had been compromised and if I had sufficient evidence, although this did not mean they would take action. They would NOT take action for someone just not registering a Part P job if no ‘actual’ regulation had not been adhered to.
This would cost too much and they do not have the manpower resources available. The chap at LABC I spoke to said they are aware of the problem and appreciates my concern but there are ‘to many’ electricians as well as the public doing work that should be certified and it is an impossible task to deal with. He also mentioned that B&Q don’t help as they sell consumer units and have wiring diagrams mounted above the selves showing the public how to connect them!! This is encouraging the public to ‘have a go’ and no mention on these boards that it is against the law or that this work must be certified.
Good point.
I could not believe it!! The so called ‘powers at be’ are powerless!!
I asked myself “Why am I paying £460, plus a days unpaid time for the assessment and paying £1.50 for each job, (£3.00 with NICEIC) I register. What’s in it for me and who benefits apart from the likes of ELECSA, NICEIC etc.
All these organisations want your money but do nothing for it. They are even in competition with each other. I have had email marketing from NAPIT to transfer to them as they had a better deal than ELECSA and NICEIC.
B&Q don’t give a dam about how they effect your business or Part P with what they sell, they just want to make many more £Millions.
ELECSA, NICEIC, NAPIT They want to make money out of us but don’t support us.
LABC are aware of the problems but don’t want to know, it cost them to much.
Joe Public, well do they know what part P is? They just require a cheaper job doing as possible. It doesn’t matter whether your Part P or not. I had two people last year ask if I was Part P registered, one of these jobs was to replace a light fitting in the lounge which of course is not a Part P requirement, the other thought Part P was PAT, Portable Appliance Testing. The public are unaware of it’s existence or the ones that do get there ‘wires crossed’ and misinterpret what it is and so to do a lot of electricians.
Do you ever hear in the press or trade magazines of anyone getting prosecuted? There were a few when Part P was first introduced. Is there any publicity or advertising campaign for Part P? No because it cost to must and no organisation will put money into it.
Well enough is enough when my Part P lapsed at the end of September 2010, I decided to ‘pull the plug’ and I did not renew my Part P and won’t be doing either unless things change, very unlikely with government cutbacks there will be even less resources available.
I am all for a registered system but by ONE organisation similar to how Gas Safe is operated not five competing with each other for business.
We electricians are all round losers when it come’s to Part P. If all current Part P registered electricians refused to renew there Part P when due then this may finally send out a message and when these organisations suffer financially as a result only then will they do something.
Mazdaman
