Government

Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out reviving HS2’s second phase if he wins power at the next general election. After several months during which his party has not committed to a position on the megaproject since Rishi Sunak cancelled its northern leg in October, the Labour leader said on Thursday…

A senior Scottish minister has met with administrators for Stewart Milne Group after 217 employees of the collapsed company were made redundant on Monday (8 January). Neil Gray, cabinet secretary for wellbeing economy, fair work and energy, met with administrators from Teneo on Tuesday morning (9 January) to discuss employment…

A leading figure in Scottish housebuilding has urged ministers north of the border to “take action” amid fears of further business failures in the wake of Stewart Milne Group entering administration. On Monday (8 January), the Aberdeen-headquartered firm announced it would cease trading after failing to find a buyer –…

A £250m scheme to upgrade road junctions around Derby is facing a legal challenge, less than three years after earlier plans were quashed in the High Court. The A38 project aims to improve journeys by upgrading roundabouts at Kingsway, Markeaton and Little Eaton using flyovers and underpasses, as well as…

Housing secretary Michael Gove has announced local authorities will have more power to reject housebuilding in the greenbelt. Setting out the latest version of the National Planning Policy Framework, which guides England’s planning departments, he said local-housing-need assessments should be seen as only “advisory” when pit against environmental, heritage and…

Mace has put forward proposals for how the private sector can deliver HS2’s Euston station development but the Department for Transport (DfT) has not yet responded, the contractor’s boss has said. Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds told City AM that his firm’s proposals had “gone into a black hole”. “When…

A proposed new method for assessing the energy performance of buildings is set to be more transparent and adaptable than the current one. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) opened a consultation on a new Home Energy Model this week, alongside its consultation on the new Future…

The Labour Party has named the former head of Siemens UK as the leader of a review into infrastructure delivery. Juergen Maier, who was chief executive of the rail company from July 2014 to December 2019 and is currently non-executive chair of the Digital Catapult business group, will lead work…

The government has named three companies given contracts worth a total of £35m to provide temporary classrooms at schools affected by the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Algeco UK, Portakabin and Wernick Buildings have been awarded contracts worth £11.55m each by the Department for Education (DfE). The £35m cost…

Government officials who contract construction businesses may lack the skills needed to make the most of a law change designed to simplify and improve the way contracts are awarded, MPs have warned. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raised “concern” over the commercial capabilities in place to successfully implement the Procurement…