New faces

It was all change for the industry in Westminster this week, with David Cameron undertaking a much wider than expected reshuffle of his ministerial team.

New faces are now taking the lead on construction, energy, housing, education, defence and the environment.

Of course we are all now quite used to the regular rearranging of deck chairs in Whitehall, but one commendable feature of this government was that the extent of previous reshuffles had been kept to a minimum.

Not this time, with Cameron seeking wholesale change ahead of the general election next May. There is some continuity, with Matthew Hancock, who has taken on the construction brief, having already made an impression on the industry in his previous role as skills minister.

With just 10 months until the general election and only a limited time to implement change there should be few fears of great policy upheaval

Elsewhere there will be new faces for the industry to lobby. With just 10 months until the general election and only a limited time to implement change there should be few fears of great policy upheaval.

The greater worry is that the new ministers will only just have time to find their feet in their departments before the election campaign is upon us - and with the recovery in construction still quite fragile, the industry can ill afford stasis in government.

Strong leadership is still needed, particularly in areas such as retrofit and the still flagging Green Deal.

It’s not clear we will get that.

Allister Hayman, news editor