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Levy Proposals and Consultation

Update on Consensus

CITB announced in summer 2020 that the Consensus process would be suspended, and that Government would legislate to secure the CITB Levy for 2021/22. This allowed us to focus on supporting employers’ immediate skills needs through the impact of COVID-19.

In March last year, as part of the Consensus 2020 process, all Levy registered employers were invited to take part in Consultation on the Levy Proposals.  The Consultation Report (PDF, 1MB) shares the findings of this Consultation. Details of the submitted Levy Proposals for the 2021 Levy Order currently with the DfE can be found here.

Consultation on the Levy Proposals 2022-25 took place from the 1 March - 11 April 2021, where we invited Levy registered employers to share their views via an online Consultation channel. We are also ran a series of virtual employer events alongside the Consultation. The Consultation Report (PDF, 440KB) shares the findings. 

Feedback from this consultation was analysed and fed into the final Levy Proposals by the Levy Strategy Committee.  The Levy Proposals have been approved by the CITB Board and the Consensus process commences on the 14 June and runs to 15 August.  For more information on this click here

The information provided below outlines the usual process of Consensus. 

If the Board approves the recommended Levy Proposals, CITB then consults with the construction industry the year before the next Levy Order is required. CITB engages with industry to explain the Levy Proposals and obtain feedback. This engagement includes, but is not limited to, providing information on the CITB website www.citb.co.uk; direct communication; online surveys and employer forums.

After Consultation, any issues raised by industry are considered by the Levy Strategy Committee (LSC) and they decide whether the Levy Proposals require any changes. Final Levy Proposals are then recommended to the Board for approval.

The LSC represents the views of industry across all three GB nations on the development of the Levy Proposals. The group discusses, debates, develops and recommends Levy Proposals that will enable CITB to deliver its Strategic Plan. When the proposals are agreed, the LSC submits its recommendations to the CITB Board.

Once approved, the next stage is known as Consensus. The benchmark for achieving consensus has two criteria:

  • More than 50% of likely Levy payers must support the Levy Proposals
  • More than 50% of likely Levy payable must be paid by employers supporting the Levy Proposals.

The final result is calculated by amalgamating the responses from each Prescribed Organisation with the sample of non-represented Levy payers.

Selected employers are asked this question: "Do you agree that the Levy Proposals are necessary to encourage adequate training in the construction industry?"

Once the results of Consensus are collected, CITB submits the results to the Department for Education and they are published to the construction industry. If the results show that a majority of employers by both number and Levy value support the Levy Proposals, Government will make a new Levy Order.

If Consensus does not demonstrate sufficient industry support for the Levy Proposals, then the Government will review the position with CITB and consider further options. This includes approving the Levy Proposals without industry support, submitting fresh Levy Proposals, or making a default order to best protect training and skills development in the industry.