by Clair Mooney | Apr 7, 2022 | Main News Feed
The
latest information from Builders’ Conference shows that 490 contracts worth £5.8 billion were awarded in March. Whilst the number of contracts increased for the third month in a row, the value dipped again but was only just below the monthly average for the past year (£6.1 billion). 69% of all the contracts awarded by value were in the private sector. Overall, there were 161 housing projects worth £1.9 billion (34%), the largest of which was a £350 million project to build 30 residential units with a swimming pool and gymnasium in Westminster; 62 office projects totalling £1.1 billion (19%); and 57 education projects worth £567 million (10%).
The number of tender opportunities (359) was slighter higher than the previous month (352) but still 43% below the monthly average for the past year.
by Clair Mooney | Apr 6, 2022 | Main News Feed
The City of London Corporation has unveiled a new Skills for a Sustainable Skyline Taskforce which will look at defining and addressing skills gaps around the construction, retrofit and maintenance of low carbon commercial buildings in Central London boroughs.
The taskforce will run for three years and will be chaired by Deputy Chairman of the City Corporation’s Policy and Resources Committee, Chris Hayward. City Property Association (CPA)’s Chief Executive, Charles Begley, will serve as Deputy Chair.
FIS Chief Executive Iain McIlwee has a place on the Strategy Steering Board, which will support the Taskforce Chair, Chris Hayward CC, and Taskforce Deputy Chair, Charles Begley, in shaping the Taskforce’s strategic outputs and influence. Working in collaboration, they will ensure that the Taskforce addresses skills gaps relating to low carbon commercial buildings across Central London.
It comes in response to the findings of a poll of over 100 industry professionals which revealed:
- 91% said the commercial built environment sector lacks sufficient skilled workers to achieve net zero targets;
- 80% believed a lack of workplace diversity is an issue for the sector; and
- 87% agreed that there is a growing ‘green skills’ gap in the commercial built environment.
The taskforce will support the aims of the City Corporation’s radical Climate Action Strategy which commits to net-zero carbon emissions across the City Corporation’s operations by 2027, and to support the achievement of net zero for the Square Mile by 2040.
It will bring together leaders from across the commercial built environment, including representation from local authorities, central Government, employers, industry bodies and training providers.
Chair of the Skills for a Sustainable Skylines Taskforce and Deputy Chair of the City Corporation’s Policy and Resource Committee, Chris Hayward, said:
“Central London urgently needs a larger skilled workforce to decarbonise its commercial buildings and this taskforce will lead the way in finding solutions to fill this skills gap.
“We must work at pace to attract new talent as well as upskill and reskill the existing workforce as we look to meet our ambitious climate action goals.
“The areas which we have identified as having the greatest scope for improvement are the full development lifecycle, including design, retrofit, construction and maintenance.”
Deputy Chair of the Skills for a Sustainable Skylines Taskforce and Chief Executive of the City Property Association, Charles Begley, said:
“Advances in technology and innovation are opening up a wider range of job opportunities within the built environment, with the drive towards greater sustainability being embedded from financing to fit-out, as well as the long term operation of a building. However, there is evidence of a growing skills gap which threatens to impede progress in achieving London’s net zero carbon targets.
“We need to understand the barriers in attracting the diverse workforce the industry requires, and find solutions to help promote the reskilling and upskilling of existing workers, whilst raising career awareness amongst Londoners, particularly those from underrepresented demographic backgrounds.”
The taskforce’s Strategy Steering Board, which will be responsible for defining the overall strategy, influence and outputs, is made up of the following 15 industry leaders:
- Bola Abisogun OBE, Founder & Chairman, DiverseCity Surveyors
- Tim Balcon, Chief Executive Officer, Construction Industry Training Board
- Julia Barrett, Chief Sustainability Officer, Willmott Dixon
- David Frise, Group Chief Executive Officer, Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and Member of Executive Group, Actuate UK
- Martin Gettings, Vice President – Portfolio Management, Real Estate, Brookfield
- Alison Gowman, Trustee, Trust for London
- Emma Hoskyn, UK Head of Sustainability, JLL
- Sir Stuart Lipton, Co-Founder and Partner, Lipton Rogers
- Carol Lynch, Chief Executive, Construction Youth Trust
- Iain McIlwee, Chief Executive Officer, Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS)
- Fiona Morey, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Compulsory and Further Education), London South Bank University
- Benjamin O’Connor, Director, New London Architecture
- Stephen Pomeroy, Founder and Chief Executive, BECG
- Hannah Vickers, Chief of Staff, Mace
- Danna Walker, Founder, Built By Us
After 2025, the taskforce is expected to share the research and lessons learned with other UK regions which have high concentrations of commercial buildings – including Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow.
by Clair Mooney | Apr 4, 2022 | Main News Feed
2022 is set to be another busy year for key updates and changes to Employment Law, including the introduction of the long-waited ‘Employment Bill’ – which is set to be the biggest review of workplace employment rights in over 20 years. FIS Associate Member Citation has put together an exclusive guide, including the Employment Bill, backdated holiday pay for self-employed workers, and the end of self-isolation.
Download your copy at https://tinyurl.com/fiselupdate22
FIS member benefit
If you’d like to chat about how Citation can help with the HR and Health & Safety side of your business, just give them a call on 0345 844 1111, or fill in their call-back form and they’ll get right back to you. Please quote ‘The Finishes and Interiors Sector’ when enquiring to access your member benefit and preferential rates.
by Clair Mooney | Mar 31, 2022 | Main News Feed
April sees a number of legislative and tax changes come into effect, we’ve included details in below to remind members and ensure they are complying.
Minimum wage rates
From 1 April, the National Living Wage will increase to £9.50 per hour, whilst the National Minimum Wage will rise to £9.18 for 21‐22 year olds, £6.83 for 18‐20 year olds, and £4.81 for 16‐17 year olds. The Apprentice Rate will also increase to £4.81.
End of Red Diesel rebate
From 1 April the entitlement to use rebated red diesel will be removed from most sectors, including construction, which means it will be illegal to put red diesel into the tank of a vehicle or machine being used for construction work. If HMRC finds traces of red diesel in such a vehicle or machine, it will ask for evidence to demonstrate that it was put in before the rules changed and is still being used up. HMRC has confirmed it will take a pragmatic approach to enforcement in this situation but can seize the vehicle or machine and issue a fine of £250. To help members manage this significant change, Build UK has published a series of Frequently Asked Questions covering the transition from red to white diesel which includes a checklist of the steps to take.
New Plastic Packaging Tax
The Plastic Packaging Tax comes into force on 1 April 2022 and will be charged at a rate of £200 per tonne. The CPA has produced a briefing paper on the effects of this new tax.
Gender pay gap deadline
Companies with 250 employees or more have until Monday 4 April to report their gender pay gap information for 2021/22. Employers that fail to report on time or report inaccurate data via the gender pay gap service could face enforcement action.
by Clair Mooney | Mar 31, 2022 | Main News Feed
The Construction Leadership Council has published a document intended to support UK firms respond to the impacts of the current crisis in Ukraine.
Companies from across UK construction have reported emerging challenges that have arisen because of the conflict, including escalation in costs for materials and energy.
In response, the CLC has drawn together Industry response to the Ukraine Crisis. Guidance Note 1, which provides expert guidance to outline the practical steps that all parts of the industry can take to mitigate the market impacts.
As with its response to the Covid crisis, the CLC guidance reminds of the importance of early engagement and collaboration to secure both existing and planned projects. It also provides dedicated checklists for different types of organisation including clients, main contractors and specialists.
Arcadis partner and CLC member Simon Rawlinson said:
“We recognise that many businesses will be concerned about how the current situation in Ukraine will impact upon their company and the work that they do. The CLC hopes to help companies navigate through these current challenges with guidance and points to think about, supporting firms in what could be a challenging period for the sector.”
You can download the guidance note here.
by Clair Mooney | Mar 24, 2022 | Main News Feed
From Friday 1 April, the Government guidance to stay at home for five days following a positive COVID‐19 test will be removed, along with the Working Safely During Coronavirus guidance and the health and safety requirement for employers to explicitly consider COVID‐19 in their risk assessments. As a result, the Build UK COVID‐19 flowchart will be withdrawn and the Site Operating Procedures and the Use of Face Coverings in Construction will remain available as reference documents only from 1 April.
The Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme has now closed, and the deadline for submitting final claims is today at 11.59pm. Government guidance on travel to the UK has also been updated and people are no longer required to take any COVID‐19 tests or fill in a passenger locator form when arriving from overseas.
