Author Archives: Nicola Harley

A construction firm has been fined £1,000 after it repeatedly failed to comply with Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) notices about “unsafe scaffolding”. Fermanagh-based HICS Properties Ltd was visited by HSENI inspectors between May and August 2022 during its work at a housing development at Rosscah View,…

Seven new hospitals being built to replace reinforced aerated autoclaved concrete- (RAAC-) affected buildings will be delayed by three years and miss their 2030 deadline. An independent report commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in 2022 recommended that hospitals in the government's New Hospital Programme with…

The family of the owner of a collapsed contractor have been ordered to pay a council’s £1m costs in full, years after losing a legal battle over a bus station job. Close relatives of the late owner of Thomas Barnes & Sons – which is now insolvent – unsuccessfully took…

A proposed national site standard for women in construction – already adopted by a leading construction body – has been officially launched at the House of Lords. The National Site Standard for Female Operatives, authored by Construction for Women (CFW), is calling for 11 key changes to be brought into…

Administrators for Henry Construction Projects say there could be sufficient funds to pay some of the £43m owed to its supply chain if legal proceedings are successful. In their latest progress report, joint administrators David Hudson and Geoffrey Rowley of FRP Advisory said they were aware of more than 5,000…

A London-based construction firm and its director have been fined a total of £18,000 after they failed to comply with enforcement notices issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Director Vasilis Paraskeva and his company VNP Constructions Ltd were appointed to work on a project to convert a former…

After 18 months as NG Bailey’s chief executive, Jonathan Stockton’s strategy is paying off

A contractor has been ordered to pay almost £22,000 after it lost its appeal against paying the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) levy. Surrey-based MJL Construction Associates took the CITB to an employment tribunal in Bury St Edmunds last November to dispute paying levies due for 2021 and 2022. According…

Family-run construction firms are still facing an “existential” threat despite the government’s changes to the inheritance tax cap. The warning comes after chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in December that she would lift the threshold at which 20 per cent death duties apply to family-owned businesses from £1m to £2.5m. Under…

Administrators for offsite construction specialist Merit Holdings have said they are “unlikely” to recoup the £17.4m owed to unsecured creditors. Merit Holdings Ltd – the main trading arm of Merit Group Services Ltd – ceased operating last year after entering administration, owing creditors £31m. James Lumb and Will Wright of…