Labour’s housebuilding target ‘impossible the day it was announced’ says construction boss March 11, 2026 Labour’s housebuilding target was impossible the day it was announced, the boss of a leading construction materials firm has warned. Rob Wood, chief executive of materials specialist Breedon Group, told City AM the government’s plans to build 1.5m homes by the next general election will fail because Labour is not backing its construction industries. Wood [...]
Balfour Beatty shares soar as firm bets on UK energy and defence March 11, 2026 Balfour Beatty shares jumped after the construction firm posted surging profit as it doubles down on bets on UK energy, transport and defence infrastructure. Profit at the FTSE 250 firm grew 51 per cent to £323m in the year to December 2025, as revenue climbed 7.5 per cent to £10.8bn and its order book reached [...]
Small house building firms in ‘existential crisis’ as sales rates plummet March 9, 2026 Falling sales are pushing small and medium-sized (SME) house builders into an “existential crisis” that could threaten the government’s house building ambitions. SME house builders have seen average sales drop by 41 per cent between 2021 and 2025, according to a report by estate agents Savills for the Land, Planning and Development Federation (LPDF). The [...]
Tradesmen hand condoms to politicians in paternity campaign March 8, 2026 Construction workers will descend on Westminster to hand out condoms to MPs as part of a campaign for paternity leave for the self-employed. Tradesmen from across the UK will be dishing out the condoms branded with “this lasts longer than our paternity leave” to draw attention to their cause. Self-employed fathers do not get any [...]
Construction hit by wet weather as low housebuilding weakens output March 5, 2026 The construction sector was hit by “exceptionally wet weather” in February that caused delays and led to a decline in output, new research has shown. S&P Global’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showed the beleaguered sector suffered from an “accelerated downturn” in output last month. The construction PMI dropped to 44.5, below the 50-figure mark for [...]
Taylor Wimpey profit halves as Budget impacts sales March 5, 2026 The UK’s third-largest house builder saw its profits halve last year due to the cost of fire safety regulations and a regulatory settlement with the competition watchdog. Taylor Wimpey’s profit plummeted by 54 per cent to £146.5m despite revenue growing by 13 per cent to £3.8bn, in the financial year to December 2025. The group [...]
Labour warned it could miss housing targets over tax burden on sector March 4, 2026 A leading construction industry body has warned the Labour government could miss its ambitious house building target as employment costs and tax burdens build pressure on the sector. The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), which represents more than 2,000 firms providing critical machinery and expertise to the industry, told City AM Labour will fail to meet [...]
Vistry: Housebuilder boss quits as output falls March 4, 2026 The boss of the UK’s second-biggest housebuilder has quit as the company battles with falling revenue and output caused by the uncertainty around last year’s November Budget. The news spooked investors as Vistry Group’s share price nosedived on Wednesday, down as much as 22 per cent to 490p. Vistry’s chief executive Greg Fitzgerald said he [...]
Construction recovery remains fragile amid high costs March 3, 2026 The construction sector is recovering but its growth remains fragile as developers contend with high wages, planning delays and labour shortages. The industry will grow over the next year due to major infrastructure projects but confidence in the housebuilding and commercial sectors remains shaken, according to a report by construction firm McBains shared exclusively with [...]
Developers shrink Silk Street plans to dodge objections February 24, 2026 Plans for a huge new office development in the heart of the City have been shrunk in a bid to dodge objections raised by furious locals. The plans to redevelop the existing western building, located next door to the Barbican estate, will now see it stand ten metres shorter than initially planned, in response to [...]