Thatcham is gaining support for its plans to jointly develop a Kitemark for bodyshops in partnership with the British Standards Institution.

Sponsors now include Automotive Skills, the Institute of the Motor Industry, EurotaxGlass’s, the ABP Club and the Institute of Automotive Engineers Assessors.

The scheme will follow a similar Kitemark for mech-anical repair workshops launched last year but will need insurers’ backing.

Jason Moseley, Thatcham’s director of quality, says: “Creation of a recognized standard to which repairers can work towards represents a massive step forward.”