Government & Public Affairs
A key pillar of The LIA is to represent its members on local, national, and international stages. Smart regulation should be minimal, effective, evidence-based, and consistent over time to allow members to plan – it should also be developed as a government-industry partnership - The LIA supports this approach.
The LIA either engages with the government directly, as an alliance with our other parallel organisations (when appropriate we lead), or through consultation responses, but we are always informed by our membership.
The strong connections The LIA has with key government departments and stakeholders in the UK and abroad underscore our work. Through our active participation within LightingEurope, we maintain a crucial partnership, even post-Brexit, to continue the UK industry's role in shaping EU regulations, to promote alignment, inform on divergence and horizon scan on the upcoming tsunami of sustainability regulation.
- We serve as a central hub for sector-specific knowledge and expertise
- Vigorous advocacy for our members' interests in policy and regulation development
- A cooperative stance with policymakers, seeking to work alongside them
- The presentation of constructive pathways and evidence-based recommendations
- A collaborative strategy involving and partnering with key industry stakeholders to optimise market outcomes
NEW IN 2024
By carefully cross-referencing our objectives, political party manifestos and those of other parallel organisations, The LIA has produced a pragmatic set of objectives and calls on government that will also inform our policy outreach going forward.
The new Government Affairs and Public Committee (GPAC) has a clear brief and objectives, not just on Government outreach but to guide our partnering and liaison with the huge number of parallel organisations such as MakeUK, BEAMA, EURIS, SLL, ILP, IALD and LightingEurope within the lighting, electro-technical, manufacturing and net zero space.
- the value of light and its importance to modern life
- lighting is still the most deliverable net zero technology
- promotion of a UK manufacturing strategy using low carbon, 4th industrial revolution processes
- lighting’s part in the refurbishment of our building stock to be ready for net zero in 2050
- and better enforcement of quality and sustainability regulations across all channels, especially online
MEMBER SUPPORT AND COMMUNICATION:
LIA Policy continues to guide members in adapting to changing regulations and communicating the impact on their businesses.
LEVERAGING POLICY FOR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES:
We explore ways to leverage government policies for sales opportunities and business growth.
Improve visibility of LIA representation and address gaps in market data to highlight the value of quality lighting in the UK and identify missing stakeholders.
2023 Achievements
MEPS DEVELOPMENTS
In response to challenging Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) proposals, we engaged with the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and their consultants. LIA Policy led a quick reaction Task Force, that delivered government facing training and gathered evidence that allowed The LIA to submit a comprehensive 59-page evidence-based document. This included a detailed, technical critique of the proposals, supported our industry's position and included case studies that support proposed timeline extensions and additional allowances to make MEPS realistic.
In addition, we organised a letter-writing campaign to MPs, provided members with model answers for the government’s consultation, provided guidance to LIA and LightingEurope members, and kept the industry informed.
DESNZ acknowledged the need to align the MEPS timeline with industry capabilities, delaying the implementation of the new standards to consider industry readiness.
“A massive achievement and probably more than expected. This is clearly a direct result of the meticulous detail and compulsive arguments that were forwarded by yourselves and is a massive reflection of the LIA value proposition. Many congratulations to all involved you should be very proud.”
ENERGY RELABELLING EXTENSION:
Working closely with the British Retail Consortium, we jointly secured a letter from Government granting a 6-month extension for energy relabelling, ensuring our members had more time to comply with the regulations. The UK was the only country in Europe to achieve a formal extension.
We successfully advocated for the publication of a clear UK timetable for the phasing out of lamps under RoHS, providing clarity to the industry.
