Supply Chain

Ministers have vowed to publish a strategy to tackle the semiconductor shortage “as soon as possible” after a high-profile MP branded the delay an “act of national self-harm”.    Darren Jones, chair of parliament’s business, energy and industrial strategy committee, criticised the government following its official response to a report…

Plans have been unveiled for the UK’s largest timber development, called The Phoenix. The 700-home, mixed-use neighbourhood proposed for Lewes, East Sussex, would transform a 7.9 hectare brownfield site of a former foundry, called the Foundry Iron and Steelworks, into a development powered entirely by renewable energy. It would use…

Companies could have to report on the proportion of money they withhold in retentions under new proposals designed to drive down payment waiting times.  Under the plans, any medium-to-large company would need to submit information on their firm’s retention-payment terms if they are subject to existing rules around compulsory reporting…

Scotland’s public construction sector pipeline has swelled by more than £600m to reach £12.2bn, according to new figures from the Scottish Futures Trust. More than half of the future work in Scotland will be for smaller firms, providing a buffer at a time of economic difficulty. The Scottish Futures Trust’s…

The government has made £600m available to help Britain’s two biggest steelmakers switch to greener technology and protect jobs, according to reports. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is understood to have offered £300m each to British Steel and Tata Steel. This support would be tied to the firms investing in their plants…

More than half of all invoices sent to construction firms were paid late last year, an analysis has found. The proportion of late invoices “significantly increased” to 52.9 per cent across the sector in 2022, a rise of 13 per cent compared with 2021. Data company Creditsafe looked at 21…

The government is set to hand British Steel £300m of financial support, according to reports. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is expected to approve the funding, which will be paid in instalments over the next few years. The funding will be used to replace British Steel’s blast furnaces at its Scunthorpe sites,…

Early collaboration among construction-sector partners would give clients, contractors and suppliers a better chance of decarbonising their operations, a recent roundtable discussion heard. But while innovative technology can play an important part in meeting net-zero targets, getting better at the basics is crucial, too. Mike Walter reports On the panel…

The UK steel sector has made a final plea to the government to maintain support on energy costs ahead of a much-anticipated announcement.  On Wednesday (4 January), chancellor Jeremy Hunt (pictured above) told business leaders that he will reveal in Parliament this week how he plans to protect businesses when…

The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has announced the appointment of a new chief executive following the departure of incumbent Kevin Minton. The trade association for the UK plant-hire sector has over 1,800 members which supply 85 per cent of hired plant to the construction industry. Stu McInroy will join the…