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Construction News is the leading provider of UK construction industry news, opinion, analysis and events. Founded in 1871, the Construction News celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2021.

CN runs a full programme of annual face-to-face and online events including conferences, award ceremonies, webinars, roundtables and more. We bring contractors, suppliers and clients together to share knowledge, best practice and other industry insight. We honour excellence in the industry through our awards events, which are judged by independent panels.

The magazine was first published as Labour News on 30 August 1871, under founder, Victorian reformer Alsager Hay Hill, aimed at tackling unemployment by printing information about job vacancies. It was first published under its current name during the 1960s.

Today it publishes news on topics impacting the UK construction industry, including sustainability, skills shortages, materials prices, workforce diversity, legal commentary, deep-dive analysis, administrations and contract wins.

Construction to be rententions-free by 2025? Pigs might fly

Rudi Klein chief executive Specialist Engineering Contractors Group

Rudi Klein is a barrister and former chief executive of SEC Group Trade body Build UK boasts it provides leadership to the industry. Some five years ago – egged on by its large tier one contractor members, the Civil Engineering Contractors Association and Construction Products Association – it announced a…

It’s time to act on youth recruitment

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Frederik Murphy-Jackson is the founder of FMJ Plastering In the turbulent landscape of the UK construction industry, a pressing concern has emerged: a severe shortage of qualified and skilled tradespeople. The sharp rise in home improvements has magnified the lack of skilled workers within the industry, hampering the timely completion…

Improve apprenticeships to plug the labour gap

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Julie White is managing director of D-Drill & Sawing and chair of Build UK I have always been a huge advocate of apprentices, so National Apprenticeship Week gets my full backing every year. It’s in my blood, you see. More than 40 years ago, my dad, Peter White – who…

Ensuring health and safety training is fit for the modern construction site

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Kingsley Clarke is operations lead at Southern Construction Framework With a recent report by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) finding that there were 45 fatalities in the construction industry in 2022/2023, up from 29 the previous year, it’s more important than ever that the right health and safety training…

How the construction industry can better support neurodiversity

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Andrew Kitley is managing director of Kitall In the construction sector, the extent of support for neurodivergent individuals significantly varies depending on the employer. A notable observation is that the highest levels of awareness and support are often found in companies where leadership openly identifies as neurodivergent. This personal connection…

Rules are the only option to stop the suicides

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Marc Preston is chief executive of Vertice Development Management and New Foundation Counselling, and director of Construction Disputes Experts  The impact of poor mental health within the construction industry is now an undisputed fact, with suicide statistics escalating every year. In 2021 there were 507 deaths and, without proper address,…

Smash and grabs: when are true value adjudications allowed?

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Aidan Steensma is of counsel in the infrastructure, construction and energy disputes team at CMS London A smash and grab adjudication (SGA) involves a party claiming a sum that was applied for but never challenged in a valid payment or pay-less notice (or the ‘notified sum’). The paying party must…

The Government is investing millions in MMC with no roadmap for success

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Lord Moylan is chair of the House of Lords Built Environment Committee Modern methods of construction (MMC) should be increasingly attractive, given their claims of being more efficient, addressing labour problems and the demonstrable success seen in commercial and high-rise buildings. However, we aren’t seeing the delivery of MMC housing…

Workers shouldn’t fear calling in sick with mental ill health

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Duncan Rudall is chief executive of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors You may be surprised to learn that 91 per cent of all those working in the built-environment industry have felt overwhelmed at some point in their careers. Indeed, underneath the constant banter and camaraderie that bring the UK’s…

The supply chain is crumpling – here’s how to bolster it

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Sam Barnes is a partner and national head of cost management at consultancy RLB UK Last year wasn’t the best of years to be a contractor. The last seven months of 2023 saw major contractors such as Henry Construction, Buckingham and Michael J Lonsdale go into administration, and in November,…