Government

Only one in 10 emergency Covid loans issued to building companies have been paid back, Construction News can reveal. As the fifth anniversary of the first Covid lockdown in the UK approaches, an investigation by CN has shown that just 30,282 (11.6 per cent) of the 260,912 loans issued to…

Ministers have rejected claims that the £3.5bn post-Grenfell building safety levy will lead to a “serious reduction” in housing delivery, and are set to push on with the plan. The government responded to a letter signed by more than 100 housebuilders calling on chancellor Rachel Reeves to reconsider the levy.…

Public sector bodies abandoned one in six decarbonisation projects awarded funding through a £553m scheme, after “changes in the wider economic climate” took their toll. Public sector bodies that received funds from phase 3a of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) were forced to abandon 17 per cent of their…

Laws governing safety-incident reporting and lifting operations could be shaken up as part of a government mission to cut red tape and boost economic activity. The Treasury said consultations would be held over potential alterations to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 2013 and the Lifting…

Firms involved in major public sector construction projects in Wales are to benefit from strengthened payment protection under a government initiative. Three high street banks have been accredited by the devolved Welsh Government as part of its project bank account (PBA) scheme, which is designed to speed up payments for…

Construction sector leaders, including Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn, have warned that US tariffs on the UK will raise prices and reduce demand for steel. Speaking yesterday (12 March) during a presentation on his company’s annual results, Quinn warned that main contractors will need to tread “very carefully” to…

Tom Pashby An updated business case for the revised programme of works for High Speed 2 (HS2) will not be published until 2026 – more than a year later than originally planned. The delay came to light in a letter dated 27 February from Department for Transport (DfT) permanent secretary…

Key construction industry figures have hailed the publication of the “landmark” Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Ministers introduced the legislation to Parliament yesterday (11 March), promising “bold action” to “get Britain building”. Measures within it include overhauling the order in which new developments are connected to the power grid; fast-tracking green…

The Department for Education (DfE) is set to unveil a £15.4bn construction framework, it has announced. The new framework is planned to run for six years, from December 2025 to December 2031, with a two-year extension period possible afterwards. Potential work involves construction jobs in all areas of England, covering…

Industry figures have welcomed the government’s signal it will support the expansion of Gatwick Airport, and called for it to be brought forward quickly as part of a wider pipeline of work. The £2.2bn expansion of the West Sussex airport, which is majority owned by Vinci, would see what is…