Month in numbers

0.2m

The number of women working in the construction industry. Hopefully this figure will increase as the CITB-Construction Skills launches a £1m, year-long campaign to lure more women.

Adverts encouraging women to enter the profession will appear in the changing rooms of well-known clothes shops as part of the CITB’s drive to recruit more women and ethnic minorities. A CITB spokesman added the industry was missing out on much-needed talent because it had an outdated image that failed to attract women. “We want to address this head-on and get young women to consider the opportunities that a career in construction might have, from carpentry to project management,” she said.

0.4m

The number of homes that The Prince of Wales wants to see restored in the Midlands and North of England. ‘One’ may run into a few problems, though, as Deputy PM John Prescott wants them all demolished!

Charles told the Institute of Chartered Accountants that: “Old, historic buildings are knocked down even though in the longer term it would cost far less in financial, social and environmental terms to refurbish them.”

The Federation of Master Builders agrees, but adds that there are 700,000 empty homes that could be used to meet the UK’s housing needs. Its director general Ian Davis says empty homes are kept out of use by the current VAT law, which charges 17.5% on the refurbishment of a home, but allows new property to be built VAT free.

1m

The amount of cash, in pounds Sterling, that the late founder of JCB donated to the Tories.

In the latest Electoral Commission report on political donations, Joseph Cyril Bamford was named as the top funder for the Conservative Party with this generous gift.

Bamford died four years ago and his estate was only recently settled. Over the past four years the Bamford family have given more than £1.27m to the Conservatives. The latest gift was the largest single donation to the party in the period covered by the Commission.

Unfortunately for the party, this injection of cash was unable to stop its recent decline and prevent Labour getting back into power and securing a third term. Defeated leader Michael Howard will stand down as party leader later this year.

5bn

The cosT in pounds Sterling of energy wasted in UK homes. In a drive to improve the situation, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) is urging the construction industry to make this matter a priority.

EST has produced a guide geared at helping the industry become more energy efficient. Tips for building greener homes include low energy housing design, increasing insulation, and thermal performance windows.

Philip Sellwood, chief executive of EST said the industry has a key role in helping the UK reduce consumption and in building better environmental standards.

EST is putting its money where its mouth is, too. The Trust is sponsoring a new category for energy efficiency at this year’s Master Builder of the Year awards.

18bn

The amount of construction work bought in pounds Sterling by clients in 2004, according to figures released by Building. The biggest spender was the Department of Health, which forked out almost £3bn in construction projects between November 2003 and 2004. Others in the top ten included Manchester and Liverpool Council, the Prison Service and the BBC.

Peter Woolliscroft, head of construction, NHS Estates, which topped the poll, also spoke of the good and bad of the industry. His best experiences included relationships of “openness” and “trust”.

And the worst? “Too many contractors think partnering is a way of getting closer to the people with the money and hoodwinking them into giving them more.”