Council Tax misuse hitting SME house builders, warns FMB

Central Government must prevent local authorities from hindering SME developers with unfair Council Tax burdens, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has warned ahead of the Budget Statement. Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “If the Government is... View Article

McBains Cooper says “chronic” skills shortage must be addressed

The monthly construction output figures published by the ONS revealed that comparing the annual 2015 data with 2014, output in the construction industry was estimated to have increased by 3.4 per cent. Michael Thirkettle, Chief Executive of leading interdisciplinary international construction and... View Article

BSRIA welcomes the Lyons’ Housing Commission Review

The Lyons Commission has released an independent review underlining five key actions to deliver the increase in house building to tackle the nation’s housing challenges. The report highlighted the drastic need for more subsidised affordable and private-rented homes and welcomed the priority government... View Article

British Safety Council welcomes new safety fines guidelines

Courts in England and Wales will be required to follow comprehensive sentencing guidelines when prosecuting companies and public bodies in breach of health and safety legislation from 1st February 2016. Neal Stone, Policy and Standards Director at the British Safety... View Article

Bespoke fireplace designs: What’s next?

Andrew Munro, MD of CVO Fire, offers his predictions and advice for 2016 fires and fireplace trends Trends The two main predicted trends in interior design for 2016 are high efficiency and bespoke fireplace designs for special developments, where a... View Article

London Central Portfolio responds to CML figures

Figures reported today by the Council of Mortgage Lenders have shown gross mortgage lending for the UK on the rise overall. Over £220 billion was lent in 2015 –the highest since 2008 and an 8 per cent increase over 2014. However, research conducted by London... View Article

CML: Gross mortgage lending up 8 per cent in 2015

The Council of Mortgage Lenders estimated that gross mortgage lending reached £19.9 billion in December 2015. This is 3 per cent lower than November (£20.5 billion), but 23 per cent higher than December 2014 (£16.2 billion). The estimated total for the year is thus £220.3... View Article