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UCATT general secretary Steve Murphy has resigned after being on sick leave for six months. He leaves as the construction union has laid off up to 16 staff amid deepening financial turmoil and falling membership. Murphy’s decision to quit will now trigger a new leadership race, which is likely start before the end of the year. Brian Rye, UCATT’s national secretary, who has been covering Murphy’s duties over the last six months, said: “We wish Steve and his family all the best for the future.”

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Affordable housing and maintenance contractor Wates Living Space has formed a new national business structure to double turnover in the next four years. The business has now been split into two separate divisions under the Living Space brand; a Maintenance division and a Homes division. Managing Director of Wates Living Space, Andy Hobart, who joined the firm from Balfour Beatty Workplace at the end of 2012, aims to grow both divisions to create a sustainable £500m maintenance division and a £250m homes division. He said: “Today’s announcement brings us even closer becoming the UK’s leading affordable housing and maintenance contractor. “The clear separation of our maintenance and homes divisions under the Wates Living Space brand gives us a strong foundation on which to seize emerging business …

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A brand new study has revealed that, on average, construction workers will lose around £1300 during the summer as a result of having to take time off and take care of their children during school holidays. Furthermore the poll found that London construction workers lose the most money due to having to care for their children; with an average of £1850 lost as a result of having nowhere and no one to look after their children. As we enter the last few weeks of the school summer holidays before the Autumn term commences, a new piece of research conducted by a leading business insurance website has revealed the amount that construction workers are set to lose over the summer months because they have nowhere to send their …

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Job vacancies for construction staff continued to rise strongly at the start of the third quarter. The latest Report on Jobs, published by KPMG and the REC showed construction in joint-first place out of nine industries in the table of demand for permanent staff – and top in the rankings for temp staff. At 68.3 in July, the index measuring demand for permanent construction employees was up from 58.6 in June. The equivalent index for temporary/contract construction workers came in at 69.6, up from 61.0 in June and indicative of a marked and accelerated rate of growth. Richard Threlfall, Head of Infrastructure, Building and Construction at KPMG, said: “It is clear we are in the grip of an industry wide skills shortage, which shows no signs of abating. “Businesses …

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Germany has been known for its manufacturing efficiency for many years. In the automobile industry, they are almost unrivalled in their capacity to build functional, attractive and affordable vehicles. They seem to have this knack for doing things right. In recent years, Germany has built a reputation in the prefab homebuilding arena. So what can UK homebuilders learn from their German counterparts? The short answer is a lot! Prefab German homes come in at around 10 to 25% cheaper than on-site construction. That figure alone is enough to have the industry sitting up and taking notice. But in what areas can we learn from the Germans. Eco-friendly homes For years Scandinavia, and in particular Sweden, has been using prefabrication techniques to construct energy-efficient homes. In …

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Barratt London is preparing to start construction of a 28-storey twisting tower on one of the last remaining Thames riverfront sites in Wandsworth. Enabling and piling works will get underway this month after the developer gained full planning for the 135 apartment scheme at Lombard Wharf, adjacent to the Grade II listed Cremone Bridge. Barratt London has allocated 20% of the apartments for on-site ‘affordable’ housing and is committing £1.6m to improve local infrastructure. Designed by local architects Patel Taylor, wraparound balconies, rotated at an angle of two degrees, appear as a series of ‘rotating discs’. This optical twist is achieved by the diagonal lines of tapered solid balustrades jutting against the horizontal lines of the balconies. Homes will achieve Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 and a …

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One of the UK’s largest employment agencies has lost a Court of Appeal hearing contesting up to £158m in unpaid tax. Employment giant Reed has been fighting a long-running battle with HM Revenue & Customs over unpaid tax on the salaries of thousands of temporary workers. The Court of Appeal has now found in the Revenue’s favour following the appeal by Reed against an Upper Tribunal tax court ruling in April 2014. Reed aimed to make non-taxable payments to its employed temps for travel expenses with tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) savings being shared between Reed and the employed temp. The Court of Appeal agreed with HMRC’s argument that the payments were made as part of overall wages and, as a result, should have …

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Sixty-nine of the industry’s brightest talents have made the finals for the Construction Manager of the Year Awards. They represent the successful construction management of a combined £2.3 billion worth of UK building assets. The annual competition is run by The Chartered Institute of Building. Saleem Akram, director at the CIOB said: “The value of professional construction managers is felt well beyond the construction site. “They not only produce outstanding buildings but their work influences the way we live our lives and how we interact with the environment around us. “Our congratulations go to the finalists who in reaching the final have achieved something very special that will enhance their careers. “They have all proved themselves more than equal to a wide range of challenges, combining …

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German discount supermarket Aldi has unveiled plans to pump £600m into expanding its store network over the next two years. The ambitious plan to take on rivals like Tesco and Sainsbury’s will see 130 new stores opened and the UK workforce reach 35,000. Aldi has boomed in recent years, and in April it overtook Waitrose as the UK’s sixth-biggest supermarket, with 5.3% of the market share. It has focused on smaller-scale stores looking at build costs of £1m-£3m for each store rather than the £10m+  favoured by the other chains. The supermarket chain is also planning several distribution centres to support the growth programme. Birmingham contractor DSP Construction Management is about to start work on a 600,000 sq ft regional distribution centre just south of the …

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Brick producers are starting to replenish stockpiles offering contractors far more choice again after the surge in demand left reserves severely depleted. The latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics show brick producers have got on top of the sudden surge in demand lifting production by 7% compared to last year. Stock levels slumped to just 323m last October, down almost a third from 500m in 2012, and more than one billion recorded in 2009. The Government’s Help to Buy scheme boosted construction in a bid to meet the ever increasing appetite for new housing which resulted in increased demand for bricks. Simon Hay, CEO of the Brick Development Association said: “The brick industry has reacted swiftly in order to meet new demand by increasing brick production by …

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