Eight years after the Grenfell Tower disaster in which 72 people died, for which the construction industry – among others – was castigated for long term failings in its approach to building safety, it seems the government has still not taken steps to discover how many buildings have dangerous cladding, how much it will cost to remedy, or when this will be done.
Blog and Comment
New Act no cure for procurement malaise
New legislation aiming to modernise the UK’s public procurement system doesn’t come along very often. The Procurement Act 2023 has been some time coming, after being subjected to delays since being announced by the previous government, which said it would be one of the biggest changes in UK procurement history.
Infrastructure strategy says all the right things, but…
The Treasury has released a working paper on the government’s proposed 10-year Infrastructure Strategy that it says sits at the “heart of its growth mission”. It is intended to end the uncertainty over what work to expect from government that has dogged infrastructure suppliers for about as long as any of them can remember.
House of Lords hears construction slammed for Grenfell response
Seven years after the Grenfell Tower tragedy in which 72 people lost their lives there is no end in sight to the controversy over who is to blame and who is to pay. The longer this goes on, the more damage is being done to the reputation of an entire industry, in the eyes of the public.
Judge advises parties to consider regional courts
Pressure on the TCC could be relieved if parties stayed out of town, Editor Nick Barrett finds a senior judge has advised.
Amicable dispute resolution clauses could be a holy grail
If the UK is to respond positively to what is widely agreed to be a pressing need for a new approach to infrastructure investment – i.e. building some rather than continuing along the downward spiral of austerity – a lot needs to happen.
Construction needs longer public sector spending plans time horizon
Much remains unknown about how exactly the new Labour government will respond to the challenges it faces, despite having declared in its general election manifesto what its main targets for improvement, or ‘missions’, are.
Supreme Court judgment likely to lead to more judicial reviews
Judicial reviews are seldom out of the news these days, with even failed applications for them capturing the eager attention of journalists hungry for ammunition to bring public authorities to task for any of a wide range of failings, imaginary or otherwise.
Biodiversity uncertainty highlighted in NAO report
Construction suppliers of all types, from manufacturers to designers and contractors, have for years complained about the problem of informing local authorities about the latest technological and cost saving developments.
Work will flow soon from giant water investment programme
Starting next year the water industry will start to make one of the largest UK infrastructure investments ever, a total of £96 billion in its AMP 8 investment period. That represents a near doubling from the £51 billion previous five year investment period of AMP 7.