Frank and Brown

It’s Olympic year and anyone with the slightest connection with the London Games is looking forward to the big event and hoping to gain out of it too. And why not? As well as sport, it is a chance to celebrate what’s great about the UK’s built environment sector. But wait, from what Peter Murray has said in The Times it is not that easy. (more…)

Optimism is a wonderful thing, but there is also such a thing as over egging the pudding. Whilst that might not be the best metaphor, it is worth bearing in mind when debating if the construction industry is in great shape right now or not. (more…)

Construction output was up in the spring, but the rise to 8.5% masks the true story. The sector is in a mess. And that’s before the true nature of George Osborne’s austerity measures really kick in.  If one looks at what work is in the pipeline, and not actual output, the reality is different.  More accurate reports in September show that construction orders fell by 14% between April and June. (more…)

All the talk about hung Parliaments yesterday made smile. Maybe I’m missing the point, but if there is no clear majority it means the leading political parties will have to pull together, talk, work out a solution – maybe even work as a team. Doesn’t that sound like a best case scenario? Isn’t it just possible that the UK might end up with a ‘best of’ selection of political decision makers to lead the country out of the current economic and cultural gloom? And, isn’t that exactly what the leaders and opinion formers in Whitehall and Westminster have been urging business (especially in the built environment) to do for the past ten, fifteen years or more. I’ve written about team work before – I will again – but when it is done right it works and delivers great results. (more…)

In the past two weeks there has been a flurry of activity about housing; kicked off (for me at any rate) by criticism of Decent Homes and overall Government performance on housing. Labour was given a ticking off for missing its targets and there was a rush to put the boot in – even one #fail on Twitter. I think that’s harsh. Whilst Labour is a bit of a sitting duck its overall housing performance has been good and Decent Homes especially is something the Government and indeed, construction can be proud of. (more…)