Brexit

Construction firms in Northern Ireland are finding Brexit is adding to the UK-wide materials shortage. As per Brexit negotiations, in order to prevent a hard border in Ireland, the UK and EU negotiated for the Northern Ireland Protocol, which kept Northern Ireland within the EU’s single market for goods. Mark…

UK contractors are suffering from the knock-on effect of a shortage in global shipping capacity. Shipping costs from Asia to the UK soared 500 per cent between June 2020 and June 2021, according to Philip Damas, head of supply chain advisers at maritime consultants Drewry. "We are starting to see…

The construction industry will require special treatment to bring in EU workers and ease labour shortages as the deadline to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme approaches, experts have claimed. European citizens, who previously were able to work in the UK without additional documentation, have until 30 June to apply…

HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston has been asked to lead a review into the risks the project faces from Brexit. Details of a meeting of the board in January show that executives discussed issues relating to “Brexit readiness” in the month leading up to the end of the transition period,…

Difficulties sourcing labour – following a drop in the number of EU-born workers in the UK – are likely to push up rates by at least 10 per cent, recruiters have warned. A decline in the number of EU-born workers in the UK construction industry, combined with a surge in…

The number of European Union-born workers in the UK construction industry dropped by more than a quarter in 12 months. In the third quarter of 2020, there were 127,000 EU-born workers in the industry, down from 176,000 recorded in the same period in 2019. The 28 per cent drop was…

The Cabinet Office has issued advice to firms about changes in procurement processes following the UK's exit from the European Union, and is looking at further changes to the process. New public procurement notices are no longer posted on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and appear on…

Construction industry analysts have cautiously welcomed the Brexit trade agreement sealed by the UK shortly before Christmas. Progressive Equity analyst Alastair Stewart told Construction News the impact of the deal, which came into force on 1 January 2021, had been broadly positive. “I think it’s a great big anti-climax for…

Nine in ten builders face rising costs, a survey of Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has found. A quarterly survey by the  trade association showed small and medium-sized construction firms are struggling with materials shortages and reduced workloads. Of the 135 respondents to the survey 87 per cent said they…

Timber supplies will be under pressure for months to come, a trade body has warned. The effects of COVID shutdowns earlier this year and huge domestic demand during lockdown hit the availability of the material in 2020 and the Timber Trade Federation said the strain on the supply chain will…