Author Archives: Joshua Stein

Construction output growth dropped back in October as high borrowing costs dampened new orders in all sectors. Overall, output in the construction sector came in at 54.3, a drop from September’s 57.2 figure – a two-and a half year record high, according to October’s S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’…

A contractor has been fined £40,000 after one of its workers was paralysed falling through the roof of a house, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). A statement from HSE said that Andrew Clifford, a sub-contractor from Chesterfield and father of three fell from height while helping to…

Contractors are on alert for a £1bn portfolio of work being offered by housing association Guinness Partnership. The new business will cover planned investment and major works across England over a 15-year period. Guinness Partnership is looking to appoint regional firms to the various contracts, which could cover general construction…

A glazing and aluminium facade specialist had no net cash when administrators were appointed six months ago. Architectural Glass and Aluminium Ltd (ARGLA), which went under in April, held cash in the bank. But it owed a Coronavirus Bounce Back loan, which cancelled out its entire cash pot. In its…

Nine major construction firms could be missing crucial internal audit functions that are key to identifying financial risks to firms and the industry itself, a leading auditing body has said. Of the top 30 firms in the UK construction sector, nine “may be operating without internal audit capabilities”, the chief…

Kajima is nearly free of millions of pounds of wind-down provisions associated with its former construction business in the UK. The Japanese firm, which announced its gradual departure from the UK construction market in 2005, spent £6.5m on “onerous commitments” in the UK sector over the course of 2023, according…

Less than 1 per cent of social value created by construction firms comes via carbon reduction measures, figures shared with Construction News indicate. Data from construction software provider Compliance Chain shows that more than 98 per cent of the £6.8bn social value created through its frameworks comes from easy-to-achieve measures…

HS2 will run to Euston Station, the Labour government confirmed today, but it remained tight-lipped on any plans to pay for the London high-speed rail terminus with public money. In her first budget since becoming chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves confirmed on Wednesday (30 October) that HS2 will run…

Graham has signed on the dotted line to build an academy in Kent for more than 2,200 children. The contractor will build the new Alkerden Academy for £80m on a site measuring 11.1 hectares in Ebbsfleet Garden City. As both a primary and secondary school, it will have capacity for…

Vinci Construction is to acquire infrastructure services business FM Conway, one of the biggest family-owned firms in the construction industry. Highways specialist FM Conway will be bought for an undisclosed sum after it signed a share purchase agreement with Vinci’s UK construction business this week. FM Conway said in a…