Government consults industry on new construction officer

The government has announced its intention to consult on a potential new ‘champion’ role for the construction industry.

The chief construction officer, a civil service position, would serve as the main point of engagement between industry and the government. The officer would work with government departments to ease the problem of fragmentation of construction policy across government.

The move is a response to a key recommendation in the Construction Matters report by the House of Commons Business and Enterprise Committee.

The move was welcomed by the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ (SEC) Group. Lord O’Neill, president of the group, said: “We are delighted that this is now being progressed through the proposed appointment of a chief construction officer.”