News

Kier Group will return to the FTSE 250 Index later this month after a five-year absence. London Stock Exchange indices producer FTSE Russell announced on Wednesday (28 February) that the contractor would re-enter its mid-cap list on 18 March after the implementation of its next review. The FTSE 250 contains…

Around 300 people are under threat of evacuation from their council homes in Aberdeen after surveys found reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Panels made from the crumble-risk concrete were found in around 500 homes in Aberdeen’s Balnagask area, to the south of the city, including 299 occupied by council tenants.…

NG Bailey has announced the departure of chief executive David Hurcomb after 14 years at the helm. Hurcomb will retire in May and be replaced by Jonathan Stockton, currently chief operating officer at the mechanical & electrical (M&E) contractor. Hurcomb joined the then £464m-turnover NG Bailey in 2010 from Havelock…

Builders merchants, scaffolders and a subsidiary of a large main contractor are among firms named by the government for failing to pay the minimum wage. More than 500 companies have been named after investigations by HMRC found that between 2015 and 2023 they had breached the National Minimum Wage Act.…

Volumetric builder TopHat has launched a consultation over 70 potential job cuts, Construction News understands. The Derby-based firm blamed a “challenging market” for the cost-cutting measures. It comes as the UK has seen a sharp fall in housebuilding, partially caused by an increase in interest rates. A TopHat spokesperson said:…

A joint venture between Mace, Arcadis and tech firm Parsons has been chosen to deliver a $16bn (£12.63bn) US tunnelling project under the River Hudson between New York and New Jersey. The joint venture, named MPA Delivery Partners, will work with client Gateway Development Commission to coordinate stakeholders, contractors and…

The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has called for a two-year extension to the cut in fuel duty and a relaunched rebate for hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) ahead of the Spring Budget on Wednesday (6 March). The trade body said the government should introduce the measures to “maintain and grow” the…

Equans Regeneration is exiting the new-build housing market after it reported a £135.6m loss for 2022. In its first published accounts since being acquired by Bouygues in October 2022, the group admitted that higher turnover failed to prevent a plunge into the red in 2022 amid “particular pressure in the…

Rye Demolition has gone into administration, having been hit by two winding up orders. The Aylesbury-based demolition specialist, which has worked with housebuilders such as Barratt Homes, Taylor Wimpey and Berkeley Group, appointed administrators from Voscap today (28 February). Construction labour agency Lonsite and formwork specialist RMD Kwikform both filed…

Student developer Unite Students has said it expects to recoup up to three quarters of the money it will spend remediating dangerous cladding. The developer said it ultimately expects to get back between 50 and 75 per cent of cash spent on on remediation “through claims from contractors”, it said…