On 6th September, Liz Truss formerly became the UK’s 80th Prime Minister, moving into number 10 Downing Street and no doubt inheriting an in-tray as high as some of London’s skyscrapers!
In her debut speech as PM, Truss talked about her vision for an “aspiration nation” characterised by tax cuts and business-led growth, and talked about three priorities – tackling the energy crisis, supporting the NHS and boosting the economy. Claiming her mission was to “get the UK working, building and growing’, the new Prime Minister gave little detail of how that might come about and interestingly made no references to net zero, nature or climate change.
With the construction industry facing economic challenges around rising costs plus labour and materials shortages alongside environmental challenges around emissions, energy efficiency and waste, industry leaders have been quick to react to the new PM’s appointment. In this week’s blog, we’re sharing what some had to say.
As construction companies continue to face challenges around the supply and cost of materials, the Construction Leadership Council have got together with industry experts to launch a five-point plan to ease the impact.
While many of the factors causing the materials crisis are acknowledged to be outside the control of businesses, experts or even the government, the CLC’s plan seeks to co-ordinate an industry-wide effort to minimise risk and reduce the impact of inflation wherever that’s possible.
Keep reading for more on what’s causing this problem and what’s included in the plan.
The Construction Product Association’s latest Spring Forecast, published today, paints a mixed picture for the construction industry. On the positive side, the report is predicting that construction output will rise by 12.9% this year (and another 5.2% in 2022). However, it also highlights some significant risks to the sector’s recovery, most notably around shortages and high prices affecting key construction products. Take a look at this week’s blog to find out more about why getting hold of some of these products could prove tricky over the year ahead.
It’s no secret that the construction industry has been facing skills shortages for a considerable length of time. With unemployment rising and further job losses on the horizon (the impact of Covid-19) coupled with what some are calling the ‘Brexodus’ effect when it comes to using (or rather losing) EU labour, the obvious solutions are…
When the Prime Minister announced England’s latest lockdown measures, there was at least some good news for construction workers. Exempting them from the general instruction to work from home wherever that is possible, the latest guidance states: “To help contain the virus, everyone who can work effectively from home must do so. Where people cannot…