I have read the documents with interest and totally confused about Wales, after the 6th April not sure if there will be no Part P in Wales, or if Part P stays as it was. Likely the latter.
England however it would seem has some relaxing of notification rules, Part P work wise remains the same but notifying has reversed where now it lists what you must notify where before it listed what you didn't need to notify.
Some of the wording is rather surprising I would have expected it to say work in a consumer unit but it only lists replacement of a consumer unit. It still says new circuit so you can't add any MCB's or RCBO's to the consumer unit but seems one can alter a circuit unless it goes to a special location which now is just the bathroom.
Even the bathroom has measurements and outside these limits notification is not required.
There are other changes but it would seem as yet the scheme operators have not finalised how signing off some one else's work is going to be handled so although in the new Part P in real terms as yet only way to get work signed off is through the local authority building control (LABC).
It would also seem that the LABC can after viewing qualifications accept paperwork from an electrician without having to inspect themselves charging a lower fee.
How this will work in practice I don't know. But it must raise the question is being a member of a scheme going to be cost effective for sole traders?
I am not against the changes as in real terms people didn't submit plans and pay fees anyway and to take the money off the few that did follow the rules at the rates levied was wrong.
However I would have liked to have seen some rules as far as those charging for their work. To have set some minimum standard for those charging for electrician work would have stopped the return of the kitchen fitters of the past.
It does mean the help pages for this and many other forums will need updating and I certainly would not want that job. I would with this forum suggest "Scotland" is changed to "England and Scotland" at least until some feed back as to what the scheme operators have to say.
For the forum we will now be back to pre-2004 where we can quote BS7671:2008 but the comments which I have made many times how it's just not worth doing as DIY cheaper to get a scheme member electrician have just flown out of the window.
This forum unlike many others vets all posts first, which is good in some ways but does mean the reader may consider that what they read is correct since checked by the moderators. With that in mind do other feel we should have some restrictions as to what we will talk about?
How do the others feel this will affect us. Should we like some other forums declare what area with live in? It would seem Wales and Ulster are likely to follow England so some extent. What places like Isle of Man will do is something else.
Maybe it needs a disclaimer saying since the rules change according to location within the UK it is up to the DIY'ed to work out if the local authority needs notifying. We are still all working to BS7671:2008 amendment 1 it is only the notifying which will change area to area.
Thoughts please.