30-strong body launched to implement construction industrial strategy

Vince Cable

The government has today unveiled a 30-strong Construction Leadership Council chaired jointly by business secretary Vince Cable and Network Rail chief executive Daivd Higgins, to drive the implementation of the sector’s industrial strategy.

The council includes figures from both government and industry, including business minister Michael Fallon, chief construction adviser Peter Hansford, and representatives of a range of industry bodies. It also includes a number of industry leaders such as Kier chief executive Paul Sheffield, Laing O’Rourke chief executive Anna Stewart, and Berkeley Group chair Tony Pidgley.

Hansford said the leadership council, which was formed out of the CISAC body that helped inform the creation of the industrial strategy, would meet at least three times a year to drive implementation of the strategy. He said: “This [council] is where the partnership comes together. It embodies the partnership between industry and government.”

He added the creation of the council was not designed to replace any existing bodies, such as the Strategic Forum. “It is not intended to disturb the current eco-system of existing bodies, but if bodies want to change in response to this, it’s up to them.”

The membership of the Construction Leadership Council is:

  • Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Co-Chair
  • Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise
  • Sir David Higgins (Network Rail), Co-Chair
  • Mark Clare (Barratt Developments)
  • Louise Clarke, (CIRIA) CIC 2050 Group
  • Geoff Cooper (Travis Perkins), Construction Products Association
  • Paul Golby, EPSRC
  • Iain Gray, Technology Strategy Board
  • Peter Hansford, Government Chief Construction Adviser
  • Terry Hill (Arup), UKTI Construction Sector Advisory Group
  • Steve Hindley (MIDAS), CBI Construction Council
  • Paul Kavanagh (Imtech), Specialist Engineering Contractors Group
  • Kevin Louch (Stanford Industrial Concrete Flooring), National Specialist Contractors’ Council
  • Judy Lowe, Construction Industry Training Board
  • Liz Male, TrustMark
  • Juliet Mountford, Cabinet Office Efficiency and Reform Group
  • Janice Munday, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
  • Steve Murphy, UCATT
  • Adrian Penfold (British Land)
  • Tony Pidgley (Berkeley Group)
  • Jack Pringle (Pringle Brandon Perkins + Will), Construction Industry Council
  • Mike Putnam (Skanska), Green Construction Board
  • Neil Sachdev (Sainsbury’s)
  • Paul Sheffield (Kier)
  • Geoffrey Spence, HMT Infrastructure UK
  • Anna Stewart (Laing O’Rourke)
  • James Stewart (KPMG)
  • Mark Wakeford (Stepnell), Construction Alliance
  • Andrew Wolstenholme (Crossrail), ERG/IUK Joint Steering Committee
  • Phil Wynn Owen, Department of Energy and Climate Change