Author Archives: Nicola Harley

The construction sector has welcomed a “historic” deal with the US over tariffs that will remove import taxes on steel and aluminium. It comes amid fears UK construction growth would be delayed because of the fallout from President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes. On Thursday (8 May), Trump said: “The US…

Construction firm failures in April decreased by almost a third compared with the previous month. This reversed a trend seen in February and March when administration figures soared, with the number of firms going under rising to 32 and 31 respectively. Data from Creditsafe shows that 21 firms entered administration…

The football season may be drawing to a close for Manchester City Football Club, but inside the Etihad Stadium, a new challenge is on the horizon. Since 2023, contractor John Sisk has been building a new North Stand, adding 6,000 seats to increase the total capacity to 61,000 – making…

An employment tribunal has ordered a crane supplier to pay a former employee almost £30,000 for unfair dismissal after the crane he was operating collapsed. The crane operator, named as G Shields in a tribunal judgment released this week, was dismissed by Falcon Tower Crane Services after the jib collapsed…

Councillors are being urged to approve additional funding of £11.7m for “essential and unforeseen” changes to the A59 Kex Gill realignment scheme in North Yorkshire. The project, being delivered by John Sisk & Son, will see a new section of bypass constructed between Skipton and Harrogate at Bubberhouses – at…

A cladding company has been fined £225,000 following the death of a worker who fell through a fragile roof while replacing cladding panels. Leslie Bennion, 61, died after falling from a height of 6 metres while working on a roof at Gaerwen Industrial Estate in Anglesey on 24 January 2018.…

A construction firm has lost its appeal against penalties imposed on it after failing to enrol staff on an occupational pension scheme. Buildings UK Midlands Ltd’s appeal against fines imposed on it by the Pensions Regulator at the High Court’s first-tier tribunal was dismissed. The court heard that the steel…

Three construction bosses have pleaded guilty to taking part in a £2m bribery scandal in a bid to secure lucrative contracts. Over a four-year period, the men bribed two former E.ON energy company employees in a fraud related to a major Devon housing development in Cranbrook. Director of Bath-based Priddy…

The UK’s spending watchdog fears water companies are not equipped to deliver nine new reservoirs and have underestimated the cost by £52bn. In a new report into the privatised water industry, the National Audit Office (NAO) raised significant concerns over the sector’s ability to run competitive tenders and manage and…

A London-based contractor has won its court battle over the payment of a £120,000 invoice on the refurbishment of a Covent Garden property. LAPP Industries Ltd took 1st Formations Ltd to an adjudicator under the Scheme for Construction Contracts Regulations 1998, after it failed to pay an invoice for interim…