Judge rules in favour of CITB levy

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A judicial review into the CITB industry training levy has turned down calls for sweeping reforms of the system.

The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and CITB have this week won a Judicial Review.

The Judicial Review was taken against BIS, with CITB named as an interested party, by Hudsons Contract Services Ltd. It looked at aspects of the CITB levy and levy simplification. The levy was simplified in 2015 following an extensive consultation with industry and levy payers.

The case was heard on 1st and 2nd March at the Royal Courts of Justice, London. The judgment was given on 18 April, with the judge ruling in favour of BIS and CITB. This ruling upholds the current CITB levy order and the levy simplification process.

The judge, ruling in favour of BIS and CITB, dismissed all of the claims by Hudsons, and ordered the company pay CITB’s legal costs.

Steve Radley, Director of Policy at CITB, said: “This outcome is good news for the construction industry. It confirms that the 2015 CITB Levy Order and levy simplification are legal. We worked with industry for two years to make the levy simpler and fairer, and deliver more for construction firms. We are pleased that the benefits of these changes will be felt right across our industry, as planned.

“We can now deliver on our commitment to return a greater share of levy funding to employers and make it work better for them.”