How long has it been since the price of a kitchen has been the lead story on News at Ten? Er, probably never I suspect but there it was, Trevor McDonald telling the nation that MPs can claim £10,000 kitchens on expenses - bad news for them that they've been found out but great news for anyone selling kitchens in that price bracket.

The same goes for the £6,335 they're allowed to use to get a new bathroom - although that figure seems suspiciously more precise than the kitchen one. Whoever drew up that list has obviously just had their en suite done.

Every taxpayer in the country is probably rightly horrified by this, especially as they took all the prices from John Lewis, nice stuff but hardly the best place for a bargain. But does it affect the kbb industry in anyway? Not really in any tangible sense but, as I said at the top, it has put kitchens and bathrooms in the national headlines for the first time in years - it may be in a negative context but all publicity is good publicity.

I've said this plenty of times before, but the lack of public face for the kbb industry among the major media and the government (apart from when they're shopping) does us all disfavour. Every home in the country (and MPs have two each) has at least one kitchen and bathroom so why don't we hear more about them other than Watchdog-style stories about rubbish fitters and now MPs claiming ludicrous expenses?

The government has brought out two major reports in the last couple of weeks, one bringing in energy efficiency ratings for all new builds and another on fitting new builds for the aging population. The latter is called "Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods - A National Strategy for Housing in an Aging Society". It's an interesting read with the basic point being that houses need to built with an inclusive design that means even if a young family live there now, the next occupant may be a single person over 60 and they shouldn't need to retrofit the house out.
It's 176 pages long, and the word 'bathroom' appears in it six times and 'kitchen' five times. Call me biased but wouldn't you think they're the two rooms in the house that require the most attention in this area?

This industry needs someone, anyone who's prepared to go out there and fight and shout on its behalf. If it doesn't then initiatives like Lifetime Homes will become law without any consultation with the businesses it affects most - and that'll cause everybody headaches. You can't just rely on MPs with pockets full of free cash to come waltzing through the showroom door you know...

Andrew Davies, editor
andrew@kbbreview.com