The Ministry of Justice has found several court buildings that potentially contain a dangerous type of structural concrete, a minister has revealed. Prisons minister Damian Hinds said reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) “may” be present in six court buildings. The material has been the subject of a government briefing that…
Construction product testing should take place in systems rather than just individual components, fire brigade bosses have said. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) called for the change in approach in response to the publication of the review of the construction product testing regime by ex-government advisor Paul Morrell and…
Intelligent Steel Solutions owed more than £6m when it began the process of liquidation last month, it has emerged. A statement of the structural steel supplier’s affairs, published on Companies House this week, shows it owed £6.2m to unsecured creditors. Most of the money it owed, some £3.95m, related to…
A government-commissioned review has advised ministers to consider whether principal contractors should be required to obtain a licence before carrying out work. The review of the construction product testing regime by ex-national construction advisor Paul Morrell (pictured) and legal expert Anneliese Day, says that mandatory licensing could help ensure buildings…
The new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is targeting former police officers to join its team and help bring criminal prosecutions. The body, which is part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), is currently trying to ramp up its complement of staff and has started advertising on Police Oracle, a…
Did the government waste tens of millions of pounds extending the lives of construction firms that were beyond saving? Three years ago, as unprecedented social and economic restrictions were introduced to battle Covid, then chancellor Rishi Sunak set the tone for a huge package of emergency government support for business.…
A quarter of building firms that took bounce-back loans have defaulted or entered arrears on their repayments, Construction News can reveal. Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows that 46,323 defaulted on the loans up to the end of January this year. A further 18,878 were in arrears…
An independent review into construction product safety has questioned whether regulators will be able to effectively enforce tighter standards. The government-commissioned bombshell report also says product-certification bodies have failed to interrogate their operations following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017. Commissioned in April 2021, the authors of the review –…
A contractor that turned over £40m five years ago has made an application for administration, while one of its sister companies has entered liquidation. Construction News revealed in February that Henley Construct, a residential builder headquartered in Battersea, south-west London, had placed most of its staff on unpaid leave citing…
A major Environment Agency framework featuring contractors including Bam Nuttall and Kier has been extended for four years. Launched in 2019, the collaborative-delivery framework is part of the body’s £5.2bn capital investment programme. The arrangement originally ran through to 2023 and included the option for it to continue for an…
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