Supply Chain

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…

London’s main contractors have been facing growing strain in mechanical and electrical (M&E) delivery with data centre demand stretching specialist subcontractor capacity, according to a new industry survey. The latest London Main Contractor Survey 2026 by consultancy Aecom found that shortages in M&E trades was one of the most acute…

A major Mace job in London is being targetted with industrial action by Wolffkran tower crane operators. Nearly 100 tower crane operators voted to strike earlier this month following a dispute over pay and conditions. Construction News can reveal that striking workers represented by Unite the Union are today (27…

A Heidelberg Materials UK subsidiary whose bailiffs served a “fake” eviction notice on protestors who threatened to blow up its quarry could face contempt of court proceedings. Hanson Quarry Products Europe Ltd is taking three protesters to court for allegedly breaching injunctions banning them from blocking its premises in Pontypridd,…

Project delays and “pricing pressures” have squeezed a leading specialist’s profit by more than 60 per cent. Aarsleff Ground Engineering battled “sustained pricing pressures from both customers and suppliers”, which led to a decrease in its profit and margin, managing director Kevin Hague said in the firm’s latest accounts for…

New measures unveiled in the government's Warm Homes Plan (WHP) will see a review of a key competency standard for retrofit professionals and a boost in funding for training heat pump installers. The WHP, published on Wednesday, set out plans for a review to the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) standard…

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has called for British contractors to be used to build the new Chinese embassy in London, as a means of allaying espionage fears. It comes as housing secretary Steve Reed gave planning permission on Tuesday (20 January) for China to build Europe’s largest embassy…

Tom Harrison is group strategic accounts director at ports operator Peel Ports Group  The construction sector faces a pivotal time. The latest Environmental Audit Committee report challenges the long-held assumption that environmental protections slow housing delivery, and warns of a widening skills gap that could derail both housing and environmental…

Building, roofing and landscaping-products company Marshalls has appointed Simon Bourne as its permanent chief executive officer with immediate effect, following his interim leadership since November 2025. The company said Bourne would now lead the “disciplined execution” of its transformation and growth strategy, aimed at "strengthening operational foundations to drive sustainable…

David Brown has been confirmed as the new chair and interim president of both the National Access & Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) and the Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS), following the death of Wayne Connolly. Brown, the immediate past chair of both organisations, has resumed the leadership roles in line…