Government

UK councils bet big on commercial projects before the pandemic hit. As the virus continues to wreak havoc on the retail and office sectors, Zak Garner-Purkis asks what the impact on these big regeneration projects will be?

We all bore witness to the terrible events at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017 and we owe it to the 72 victims of that fire, bereaved families and the surviving former residents and their families to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again. While we await the final…

As we start the new year, we are all aware of the huge challenges that still face us as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. However, it is important to build on any positives, such as how construction came together in 2020, through the Construction Leadership Council, to develop the…

The Court of Appeal provided both good and bad news for HS2 last week, issuing verdicts on two fiercely contested cases involving the megaproject. In the first, the court ruled that HS2 was not subject to the same arguments that in February saw government decisions on Heathrow expansion ruled unlawful.…

Yesterday, the Home Office confirmed exactly what its much-anticipated points-based immigration system will look like. Here’s what construction companies need to know about it. Which trades have made it onto the ‘skilled’ list? The good news for construction is that a raft of specialist trades previously not deemed ‘skilled’ have…

You’d be hard-pressed to find a contractor that will tell you it hasn’t been a trying few months. That won’t come as a surprise, given construction is an industry that tends to follow the lead of the wider economy’s health. What’s different this time around, though, is the role-reversal likely…

Last week’s ‘New Deal’ launch by the prime minister did not prove to be the revolutionary levelling-up plan that was initially promised. We were told to wait for chancellor’s Summer ‘update’ today to fully appreciate the government’s plans. Well the update was delivered in a sparsely populated House of Commons…

Just as the industry finally had the wind in its sails, the coronavirus pandemic pulled the shutters down on sites across the country. As restrictions have loosened and sites reopened, construction is now turning its attention to the future and, understandably, optimism is in short supply. “I think the quality…

The construction industry has not downed tools during the coronavirus crisis, even if work was temporarily paused at a number of sites. As an industry, we have continued to put money in people’s pockets and helped to keep the economy ticking over. But as sector we are not in a good…

Ahead of what could prove to be a defining period in its history, Ian Weinfass speaks to the head of the government’s centre for infrastructure expertise on adapting technology to boost construction’s productivity and post-pandemic recovery