More Comment – Page 474
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Comment
Recession deeper than we thought says Bank of England
The recession is proving to be deeper than the Bank of England expected when it previous produced an inflation report in May.That in part explains the extension of the quantitative easing programme that rather surprised many commentators.I have cut and pasted below some words of Bank of England Governor, Merveyn ...
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Redundancies in construction jump to 170,000 over 12 months
The latest employment figures show a continued shocking rate of redundacies in construction with another 42,000 jobs shed from the industry in the second quarter of this year.That makes a total of 170,000 recorded job losses over the past 12 months.The number of redundancies was slightly down on the previous ...
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How to stop suicidal bidding: punish the abusers
Let's start with an assertion: Suicidal bidding in construction is not consistent with fair trade and is not in the best interests of the consumer, the client, the industry or the long-term prosperity of the nation.It's a view. It has merit, particularly in the eyes of those who witnessed the ...
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CML provides further evidence of the housing market becoming more buoyant
The Council of Mortgage Lenders today adds yet more weight to the view that the housing market is in a period of stability if not growth.Its June figures show a 23% increase in the number of home loans over the past month taking the total to a level not seen ...
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Comment
Survey shows widening North-South house price divide
The latest RICS survey out today adds yet more evidence to suggest a widening north-south gap in the housing market.Prices are now rising robustly in the equity-rich, high housing-demand south, while for most of Britain house prices remain on a downward slope. The exception to the north-south split is Scotland, ...
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Comment
Construction trade survey confirms worsening slump
The latest trade survey covering both the contracting and materials sectors underlines both the depth and the rate of decline in the construction sector with pessimism rampant across all sectors.As in all surveys there are glimmers of light and hope. The survey, compiled by the Construction Products Association, showed that ...
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Comment
Forecasters call the bottom of the house price slump
The increasing stretch of stable house prices is leading forecasters to call the bottom of the slump.The Nationwide late last month tentatively said it may be time to think the unthinkable that house prices may exit 2009 higher than they entered it.Last week much was made of the RICS saying ...
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Could the torment almost be over?
After 17 months of unrelenting torment, it looks like the UK construction sector is finally a step closer to recovery as the July CIPS/Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index highlighted the slowest pace of decline since March last year (see index).This progress is largely on the back of an improvement in the ...
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CommentTurning of the tide: Super litigation
Litigation is too often the meandering paddle steamer to adjudication’s inaccurate exocet. But a recent case shows courts can sometimes be both speedy and right
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CommentProve your worth: Net worth test
Money matters Banks looking to safeguard funding have a new test for construction projects’ guarantors, but how will it affect contractors?
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CommentHow to land in the deep end: Trade associations
Of course trade associations want to boast about their members. But in doing so, they can come perilously close to taking the rap if those members do a dud job
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Comment
Should you fess up?: Corruption
The Serious Fraud Office’s efforts to encourage self-reporting of corruption has created quite a dilemma for the construction sector
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Comment
Let control take control
Your leader column (24 July, page 3) illustrates both the increasing complexity of trying to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and the growing potential role for building control in ensuring that this is done
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Comment
As a matter of tax
As somebody who has spent 47 years in the industry, with every penny earned being subject to PAYE, I think we are missing a fundamental point in this debate (24 July, page 9)
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CommentWe have a problem
It’s interesting that you have a health and safety blunders section highlighting, visually, people doing crazy things that put their and others lives in danger
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Comment
Flaws in Murphys law
I welcome Jim Murphy’s proposals to create almost 3,000 jobs for young unemployed people across Scotland through the Future Jobs Forum – including in hard-hit sectors such as construction
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Comment
Exaggerated defects
John Hughes D’Aeth (24 July, page 48) makes some valid claims about the value of latent defects insurance (LDI) but says it is no replacement for collateral warranties
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Comment
Its a mystery
I was interested to read the letter from James Preston-Hood (July 24, page 29) regarding the plethora of safety assessment schemes
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Comment
Positive thinking
With regards to the article “New zero-carbon definition cuts cost of home by £11k” (24 July, page 13)
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CommentWoolwich bridge: Crossings out
The Thames Gateway is being stymied by the lack of a bridge downriver of Woolwich. So, asks Nick Raynsford, why does the present mayor of London have no plans to build one?