Construction in worst downturn for five-and-a-half years Economics The construction sector suffered its worst downturn in output for five and a half years last month, new figures have shown, in a warning to the Labour government as it hopes to build 1.5m homes by 2030. A monthly S&P Global survey showed that the decline in output rapidly accelerated over the month, with the [...]
UK manufacturing edges into growth territory for first time in over a year UK manufacturing has edged into growth territory for the first time in over a year following months of struggle piling onto the sector. The S&P Global UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index™ (PMI) hit a 14-month highof 50.2 in November, up from 49.7 in October. This placed the industry above the all-important 50 mark which indicates [...]
Construction sector delivers growth warning ahead of Budget Business The economic growth being promised by the government is in jeopardy unless the Budget delivers a boost for the construction industry, sector leaders have warned. Figures within the construction industry have said the delivery of key Labour infrastructure projects is at risk unless Rachel Reeves offers the “clarity and stability” needed by the sector to [...]
UK construction productivity still stuck in the 90s, warns industry body November 21, 2025 Productivity in Britain’s construction sector is now lower than in 1997, according to a new report. Decades of under-investment have left delivery capacity “dangerously thin”, a new report by Oxford Economics for the Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), Half-Built Britain, has warned. CPA chief Steven Mulholland said the report should serve as a “wake-up call” for [...]
Housebuilding around train stations to be given default green light November 18, 2025 Planning proposals for homes around train stations will be given an automatic green light in the latest Government drive to speed up housebuilding. Housebuilders will be encouraged to build more homes within a 15-minute walk of transport links, and councils in England will also now be required to tell the government when they intend to [...]
Councils face exodus of planners in threat to housebuilding goals November 18, 2025 One in five UK planners intends to leave the field or retire by 2028, in another significant threat to the government’s housebuilding target, according to new data. Nearly two-thirds of planners said their teams lacked the capacity to meet demand, according to the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The RTPI has warned that the exodus [...]
Persimmon makes progress despite Budget uncertainty November 13, 2025 London-listed housebuilder Persimmon has made steady progress this year, despite a variety of macroeconomic headwinds. Forward sales have risen 15 per cent since July 1 to £2.79bn, with three-quarters of forward sales being private. Just over four-fifths of Persimmon’s expected private house deliveries have already been exchanged or completed, it said. “Progress has been achieved [...]
Robert De Niro: Nobu reveals major London plans amid UK push November 13, 2025 Robert De Niro’s hospitality brand is open to considering new luxury residences in London after the success of its restaurants and hotel, the firm’s co-founders have exclusively told City AM. Nobu Hospitality first launched in London in 1997 with a restaurant at Old Park Lane. That was followed by a hotel and restaurant in Portman [...]
Skilled Labour: The Key To Unlocking £725bn UK Infrastructure Investment November 12, 2025 With Britain ready to commit £725 bn to infrastructure projects someone has to step up and be the hero to solve the crisis that is brewing. The labour market for construction is facing a serious dilemma: an ageing workforce, a shortfall of migrant skilled labour and multiple huge projects in the pipeline across the next [...]
Construction industry sheds workers at steepest rate in five years November 6, 2025 The UK’s construction industry suffered another crippling hit in October after the rate of job shedding hit its steepest level in just over five years. The latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) from S&P Global showed the sector had tumbled to 44.1 last month, down from 46.2 in September. This marks the tenth consecutive month the [...]