Building Weekly Digest: 30 September

The week has been dominated by the fallout since last Friday's "mini-budget" and what turned out to be a well timed Labour Party conference - so we have plenty of reaction to both in our news and opinion coverage. On top of all that we've spoken to the new boss of the CITB, taken a deeper look at a consultant's new carbon assessment tool, held the Building Awards shortlist party and unveiled a host of new speakers for Digital Building Week. Explore it all below.

'Mini-budget' fallout

There has been plenty of repercussions from last week's "mini-budget". First, housebuilders' shares have slumped amid widespread expectations in the market that the Bank of England will have to raise interest rates further and faster than previously planned in order to counteract the impact of Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget on the value of the pound. Another unwelcome consequence feared by many is further inflationary pressure on construction costs. Kwarteng has also been accused of missing an opportunity to invest in energy efficiency in the growth plan. Cara Jenkinson , cities manager at Ashden , said it was shocking that energy efficiency went unmentioned in the fiscal statement and described it as a “missed opportunity” to reduce dependency on gas, create jobs and cut carbon emissions. Then there were calls for the IR35 slate to be wiped clean for contractors following the government announcement that changes brought in last year would be scrapped in April 2023. The housing department has also insisted it will press ahead with reforms in the existing Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill despite the announcement of a new Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Industry sources said it appeared unlikely the government would bring forward two separate planning reform bills at the same time, but a spokesperson for the department insisted it will continue with both. Meanwhile the Labour Party set out its plans for large-scale investment in green infrastructure as it sought to cement its position as a government-in-waiting. (Picture source: shutterstock.com)

An interview with CITB boss Tim Balcon

"I’m a straight-talking Yorkshireman and I think the [construction] industry needs to face up to some truths, we can’t do this on our own, it has to be by working together." These are the words of the new?CITB?boss?Tim Balcon. He has spoken to head of content Carl Brown about his background, his vision for the much-criticised and slimmed down organisation, personal tragedy and his mission to improve vocational skills. Definitely a must-read interview for anyone in construction.

Getting to grips with the cost of carbon

Much ink has been spent in recent years on the cost of carbon emissions and a great deal of time and effort, particularly in the built environment, has been devoted to putting those costs into accurate numbers. So, if we are going to think about the carbon issue like this, then why not make it the responsibility of those in the sector with the most experience of measuring, predicting and keeping a handle on costs? That at least is the idea behind a new tool developed by Turner & Townsend . The firm wants to put the assessment of carbon emissions in the hands of cost consultants and hopes its new Embodied Carbon Calculator, a bespoke software tool, will be the first step to achieving that. You can read all about it in Daniel Gayne 's piece here. (Image source: shutterstock.com)

Building Awards shortlist party

On Thursday night we were delighted to host the Building Awards 2022 shortlist party at The Shard! It was lovely to catch up with all the finalists and judges who were able to make it to celebrate the hard work of all the contenders! Couldn’t make the #BuildingAwards2022 shortlist party? Don’t worry you can still book for the main event here

More Digital Building Week speakers revealed

Digital Building Week is just over two weeks again and the programme is jam-packed with informative and talented panellists. Spread over four days and four streams there is definitely something for everyone! Take a look at the agenda and register for all the free-to-attend sessions here. Big thanks to our sponsors Quickbase and Zutec , as well as our Building Boardroom Academy digital construction programme partner PlanRadar .

Have a great weekend and see you next week!