Government

The government has admitted that it does not assess the impact of skills shortages on housing construction. Bill Esterson, the Labour MP for Sefton Central, recently tabled a written parliamentary question to business secretary Kemi Badenoch asking “what recent assessment she has made of the effect of skills shortages in…

The chairman of Scottish housebuilder Springfield Properties has challenged Stirling Council about planning delays relating to a housing development at Durieshill, south of the city. Sandy Adam protested by bringing an eight foot-high snail to the council offices on Thursday (29 June), to illustrate his opinion that the council is…

Ministers must create a hard-hitting taskforce to drive construction of a zero-carbon power network and step up the fight against global warming, a key report has urged. The Climate Change Committee report says the government needs to create a high-level infrastructure delivery group to take “swift action” to boost building…

Housing associations will be able to use affordable homes funding to replace old, low-quality housing under a major shakeup of grant funding rules. Until now, funding provided though the government’s Affordable Homes Programme could only be spent on the delivery of new affordable homes – a restriction many in the…

Contractors have been turning down deals to remediate the country's most desperate school buildings because of inflation risks, a report has warned. In a report published today (28 June), the National Audit Office (NAO) says a major government initiative to remediate blocks at 500 education institutions in the direst need…

Dandara has become the 49th developer to agree to sign the government’s fire safety contract. This means only two firms – Abbey Developments and Rydon Homes, the sister company to Grenfell contractor Rydon Maintenance – continue to resist signing in the face of mounting pressure. Housebuilder Dandara is the latest…

Ministers have ordered a “full-scale review” of Homes England to assess how well the organisation is spending taxpayer cash to boost delivery of affordable housing. Former PwC director Tony Poulter has been appointed to lead the first external probe into the arm's-length body for seven years. Assisted by a team…

As £750m of work is announced, CN asks if a change in governance will finally get the job done Parliament has alerted contractors to £750m of work coming up on the historic Palace of Westminster and its wider estate. Over the second half of this decade, a wide range of…

MPs have warned of “dire” consequences if the government does not rethink its current plans to reduce the weight at which mobile concrete plants are allowed on roads. The government has promised to review regulatory changes due in 2028 after being told there was a risk that “a small but…

The chief executive of Willmott Dixon has warned schemes may be cancelled due to “considerable uncertainty” over the regulatory requirements around second staircases in high-rise blocks. Rick Willmott issued the warning as the industry waits to see if the government’s soon-to-be-updated fire safety regulations on second staircases go further than…