Have your say on ECA's public affairs priorities

[edit] Introduction

In the summer of 2026, ECA started a Member consultation to help shape its public affairs priorities for 2027 to 2030. The consultation is intended to ensure that ECA’s work with government, civil servants and other decision makers continues to reflect what Members are seeing on the ground, the pressures they face locally, and the opportunities ahead for the electrotechnical sector.

ECA’s current priorities — Business Resilience, Skills for the Future, and a Safe Transition to Net Zero — were agreed after Member consultation in 2022. Since then, they have helped focus ECA’s conversations with policy makers and strengthen its voice on the issues that matter most to Members.

There is already progress to build on. Electrification is now recognised as the fastest and safest route to net zero. ECA has pressed for action on unfair electricity taxation, secured Member representation in national skills discussions, supported regional skills work through Electrotechnical Training and Careers Alliances, and significantly influenced payment and retentions legislation currently going through Parliament.

ECA’s Standing Committees - Business and Policy and Practice, Technical, and Skills - have now considered the priorities for the next three-year period. Based on their feedback, ECA is proposing three high-level priorities: a skilled and competent workforce, a safe electrical future, and a resilient business environment.

[edit] The proposed priorities

ECA is calling for:

[edit] What ECA would like Members to consider

ECA now wants to hear whether these priorities feel right for Members in their regions and whether the wording reflects the practical pressures electrical contractors are experiencing locally.

In particular, ECA would welcome views on whether anything is missing, whether anything is overstated, and whether any of the proposed wording should be changed to better reflect Member experience.

• Do these feel like the right public affairs priorities for ECA from 2027 to 2030?
• Are there regional pressures or opportunities that should be reflected more strongly?
• Is anything missing from the proposed priorities?
• Is any wording unclear, too broad, or not ambitious enough?

[edit] What happens next

RECs will consider the proposed priorities at their meetings in September. Council will review and ratify the final list before the new priorities go live in 2027. Members should email [email protected] by 14 September if they have any comments.

The consultation represents an important opportunity to keep ECA’s public affairs work rooted in Member insight, focused on the issues that matter most, and ready to support a skilled, safe and resilient electrical future.

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