Author Archives: Colin Marrs

The Financial Conduct Authority has reduced its fine on former Carillion chief executive Richard Howson after he withdrew his challenge to the punishment imposed for misleading statements he made before the company’s collapse. Construction News this morning revealed that Howson had abandoned his legal bid to overturn the interim punishment…

Former Carillion chief executive Richard Howson has withdrawn his court challenge to the punishment handed to him by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) over breaches of financial rules. Howson’s case challenging the FCA’s findings, which were behind a provisional fine of almost £400,000, was originally listed to be heard today…

The Building Safety Regulator is set to operate as the shadow Single Construction Regulator (SCR) before the overarching body begins formal operations, officials said last week. Before Christmas, the government’s prospectus for the new regulator said the SCR would “take over [the BSR’s] responsibilities” and be the “foundation for an…

A subcontractor that was owed a six-figure sum after the collapse of offsite firm Merit says it was pushed to the brink after payment dried up last year on an NHS hospital project. The firm’s director, who asked not to be named, spoke out about his experience after Construction News…

Mechanical and electrical (M&E) contractors allowed combustible material to build up on a staircase serving an emergency exit at Hinkley Point C, according to the regulator. Inspectors examining construction work at the nuclear site also found that no fire risk assessment was in place and an insufficient number of emergency…

Brick deliveries slumped by 6.4 per cent last year, reversing the rally seen in 2024, according to official statistics. Seasonally adjusted deliveries in the bellwether category stood at 116 million in December, down from 124 million in December 2024, according to figures released by the Department for Business and Trade…

The High Court has rejected a contractor’s attempt to stop a bank paying a developer almost £2.5m under a performance bond. The Technology and Construction Court ruled that Barclays Bank could not be restrained from meeting a demand made by Northern Gateway (FEC) No. 7 Ltd under a bond linked…

An extra £40bn of work than originally anticipated could be up for grabs under the next iteration of the UK Government’s flagship construction framework. The Crown Commercial Service yesterday (4 February 2026) released an edited pipeline notice for its Construction Works and Associated Services 3 framework, which is set to…

Police have uncovered nearly £2m of stolen construction equipment after they tracked tools stolen from Balfour Beatty subcontractors building access roads to the Lower Thames Crossing. The Metropolitan Police announced yesterday (28 January) that officers had raided a property in Ilford and discovered the huge stash – the equivalent of…

Monthly construction insolvencies fell below the 300 mark in November 2025 – down on the previous month and on a year-by-year basis. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, released today (20th January), shows that 297 firms in the construction sector went under during the penultimate month of last year. The…