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MHCLG extends deadline for responses to Call for Evidence for AD-B (Fire)
MHCLG has extended the deadline for responses to the Call for Evidence for Approved Document B (Fire safety) to 15 March 2019 due to some respondents being unable to submit their reply due to technical reasons. We would encourage individual members to also respond...
Experienced site workers to lose Grandfather Rights to skills cards
More than 60,000 experienced construction workers will no longer be able to renew their skills cards under the 'Grandfather Rights' system. CSCS has confirmed that the Grandfather Rights scheme will be phased out from 2020 and will be abolished completely from 2024....
Reverse Charge VAT
This will come info force on 1 October 2019. Although this might seem like some time away, this change will see VAT being paid between construction firms ‘reversed charged’ which will have consequences for your cashflow and accounting systems. We recommend members...
CITB announce 30% increase to apprentice funding
CITB has announced a major boost in funding to help employers take on construction apprentices. From 1 April, CITB’s attendance grants to employers will increase to £2,500 per year, while achievement grants will rise to £3,500 for companies whose apprentice...
Skills and training fund
Skills and training funding provides an extra incentive to small employers to deliver construction training which align with CITB’s grant scheme. This funding also supports training interventions in management and leadership. Details are below. If you would like to...
5 office fit-out firms to pay £7 million fine for breaking competition law
Following a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation, each company has admitted to breaking competition law at least once during the period of 2006-2017, in some cases on multiple occasions. The firms, based in London and the Home Counties, provide...
Low but positive growth for UK construction amid Brexit uncertainty
The latest forecast from CITB expects positive growth for the sector despite the uncertainty of Brexit. The annual Construction Skills Network (CSN) report - a five-year forecast into the industry’s skills needs - anticipates construction growth of 1.3% across the UK,...
CPR update in Brexit no-deal scenario
Important update if you manufacture or import products covered by the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) if there is no Brexit deal This guidance from MHCLG provides practical information on the legal requirements that would be required in a no deal scenario. This...
FIS responds to latest Government consultation on offsite construction
FIS responded in February to the latest Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) consultation on the role of offsite construction in continuously improving the delivery of major government projects. This consultation builds on both the Farmer Review and The House...