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What consultants want from the government to get construction really moving

By Adrian O'Hickey 2025-09-19T06:00:00

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Construction is one of the UK’s great strengths, delivering day in, day out. With the right clarity and leadership from the government, it could do even more, says Adrian O’Hickey, senior partner at Ridge and Partners

Construction contributes around 7% of UK GDP, rising to almost 18% when the wider built environment is included. It is therefore no surprise that the government wants to harness our sector to drive growth. 

Put simply, when construction stalls, national growth stalls. What is surprising is the lack of orchestration – policies and plans are plentiful, but without joined-up leadership and oversight, delivery too often falls short.

Consultants like us, who work across every corner of the sector, see first-hand where progress is being blocked. What we want from the government can be summed up in three words: certainty, clarity, consistency. With these, the sector can unlock investment, accelerate delivery and drive growth.

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