UK Government – Ellis Fox

Construction and government Ellis Fox Blog

Construction priorities, what’s next?

With a new government in place, there are high hopes that the construction sector will get the support it needs to return to growth. Indeed, many are of the opinion that government needs the built environment as much as construction and infrastructure need government. There’s […]

What does construction and infrastructure need from the new government?

With the election just days away, political parties are promising many things. More investment in energy infrastructure, upgrades on rail and roads, fast tracking planning permissions. These promises are great, if they were to actually mean anything. Unfortunately, few are backed up by concrete targets […]

How the UK government plans to fill the skills gap in construction

A recent report estimated that more than a quarter of a million workers will be needed in construction between now and 2028. As a result, government has singled out construction as one of the sectors to benefit from skills development. It’s an ambitious plan with […]

Construction contracts post covid-19

While in general the UK construction industry is haunted by its reputation for project delays and poor productivity levels, even the most proficient main contractor will not have been able to avoid the impacts of covid-19. While the government supported and even encouraged construction sites […]

Fit for purpose – The Construction Act

While a great deal of noise has been made about retentions and late payments in recent months, it seems not a lot has changed. Despite promises to the contrary, subcontractors are still feeling the pressure of balancing cash flows. With the biggest main contractors reporting […]

Act on late payments before it’s too late

The issue of retentions and late payments has been in the spotlight more recently following the Carrillion collapse. But the reality is that this practice has been ongoing for years and it’s having a major impact on SME’s who make up an important sector of […]

Construction Revolution

On 5 July, business and energy secretary Greg Clark, announced a £420 million construction sector deal promising to revolutionize the industry. It’s an ambitious plan that aims to deliver 1.5 million homes by 2022 as well as supporting infrastructure, and to do this in a […]

Is this the end of Boom & Bust in the rail sector?

Since the privatization of the railways, the main contractors involved in constructing rail infrastructure have been consistently plagued by boom and bust cycles due to funding inconsistencies. Projects typically start out with great momentum but as funding dries up contractors find themselves looking at smaller […]

What will it take to make the Heathrow expansion a success?

Recent news reports highlighted great excitement over the government vote of approval to expand Heathrow Airport by adding an additional runway. When completed it will add much needed capacity for both cargo and passengers. More interesting though is that the construction process may just usher […]

Do we have enough skills for the building of future infrastructure?

Recent budget announcements have supported the need for a greater investment in infrastructure in the UK. A 2015 report by PWC[i] cited that spending in UK infrastructure was likely to increase to £110bn by 2025. While this is positive news for the industry, ensuring that […]