A new year – and the same old problems need new solutions

By Richard Steer2025-12-22T07:00:00

A radical rethink of how we build is essential in 2026 for construction to help hit government targets and deliver the growth this country so desperately needs, writes Richard Steer

If I had a pound for every time I have started a column at this time of year by apologising for not being more cheerful, I would have enough money to pay my increased tax bill, created by last month’s Budget. Still, as someone once said, predicting the future is a fool’s game; the only certainty is that events will happily make liars of us all.

As we step into 2026, thanks to the chancellor’s recent pronouncements, the industry can at least be guided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), rather than Mystic Meg, as was previously the case. Last January was all about an economic outlook shaped by caution over a dismal Tory legacy, Trump’s tariff uncertainty and the realisation of government being much harder than opposition.

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