Government

The new chair of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) Andy Roe has been nominated for a peerage. On a list unveiled on Wednesday (10 December), the former London Fire Brigade (LFB) commissioner was named along with 33 other individuals. His name was put forward by prime minister Keir Starmer. Roe…

Homes England has committed to providing more cash to get the construction industry to adopt modern methods of construction (MMC), despite its recent financial losses in the sector. On Thursday (11 December), the quango published its new strategic plan and investment strategy covering the next five years, outlining details of…

Delays in processing applications are “unacceptable” and “urgent” improvements are needed, according to a House of Lords inquiry into the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). In its report published today (11 December), the Lords’ Industry and Regulators Committee has called on the government to fund more inspectors, improve efficiency by allocating…

One in five large pieces of debris obstructing the UK’s highways this year belonged to the construction industry, according to National Highways. Traffic officers from National Highways retrieved almost 10,000 large items connected to the construction industry between January and September. Of the more than 49,000 items collected in this…

The government should encourage foreign retrofit and construction workers to come to the UK as part of a “significant new intervention” to plug skill gaps – or risk missing its net zero targets, a committee of MPs has said. In a 61-page report published today, the House of Commons cross-party…

The construction sector extended its long period of decline in November, according to the latest purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data. The S&P Global index registered 39.4 in the month, down from 44.1 in October. A number below 50 shows industry activity is shrinking. November’s figure was the lowest recorded since…

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) booked historical losses of £24m on its programme to build new prison accommodation last year, it has been revealed. The ministry’s “reactive approach” to add 20,000 new prison places by 2031 was responsible for the size of the loss, according to the National Audit Office’s…

The construction sector needs to be “wooed” for it to accept a new form of public-private partnership (PPP), experts have said in the wake of the collapse of a PFI contractor. The warnings come a week after the UK’s biggest private finance initiative (PFI) contractor Transform Schools (Stoke) Ltd (TSSL)…

A series of requirements should be placed on data centre development to tighten control of the sector’s growth and ensure power remains for housebuilding and other construction, an influential panel has urged. The London Assembly’s Planning and Regeneration Committee warned that the wave of tech hubs powering artificial intelligence and…

An enforcement notice over fire safety “shortfalls” has been served on the team delivering main civil engineering works at the Hinkley Point C nuclear construction site. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) served the notice on Bylor ─ a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke and Bouygues Travaux Publics. In a…