Government

The building safety minister has said “all possible options” are being looked at to help the trouble-hit Building Safety Regulator (BSR) fulfil its functions, and has met with developers to hear their concerns. Alex Norris said his department acknowledged that delays to high-rise projects were being caused by problems in…

A government minister has urged construction firms to get involved with an expanded initiative aimed at tackling youth unemployment via funded training. Employment minister Alison McGovern said a revamped recruitment programme – the Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) – is being scaled up to help address a labour shortfall that…

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…

The government has been warned that its plan to ditch the lower level of landfill tax for less-polluting materials risks hitting construction and demolition firms with an unsustainable increase in disposal costs. Treasury proposals to reform landfill tax would see the lower rate of £4.05 per tonne gradually increase until…

The government has been urged to strengthen the resilience of the domestic mineral products supply chain as the latest data showed a weak start to the year for the sale of building materials. According to the latest data from the Mineral Products Association (MPA), sales of ready-mixed concrete and asphalt…

Contractors working in the public sector will face spot checks as the government attempts to clamp down on late payment in the supply chain. All construction projects worth more than £5m could be examined by public sector bodies in an attempt to uphold 30-day payment times. Documents published by the…

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…

Planning reforms must go further to prevent judicial review acting as a costly break on major projects, infrastructure chiefs have warned. Witnesses giving evidence to the Public Bill Committee told MPs the most critical weakness in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill legislation – which aims to accelerate the building of…

Ofwat has said it will keep a “much closer eye” on the delivery of water infrastructure upgrades to ensure they provide value for money, as extra billions are pumped into improvements. The regulator’s pledge came as campaigners challenged the skyrocketing costs of refurbishment projects, saying water firms were being allowed…

Government plans to slash the statutory pre-consultation period for major projects have drawn a cautious welcome from industry with warnings it will not be a "golden bullet". The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the latest reforms to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill would allow key infrastructure to…