Earlier today leaders from across the UK construction industry came together with parliamentarians at this year’s Labour Party Conference for The Big Construction Debate, a high-profile discussion on how the sector can deliver the skills, homes, and infrastructure needed to support growth and net zero.
The speakers included:
- Chris McDonald MP, Member of Parliament for Stockton North & Minister for Industry in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
- Tan Dhesi MP, Member of Parliament for Slough
- Councillor Graham Morgan, Leader of Knowsley Council
- Mike Reader MP, Member of Parliament for Northampton South
- Jim Dickson MP, Member of Parliament for Dartford.
Above: the first panel heard from Tan Dhesi MP, Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders, the Electrical Contractors’ Association Jane Dawson, Leader of Knowsley Council Graham Morgan, the Construction Plant-Hire Association’s Steve Mulholland, and John Newcomb of the Builders Merchants’ Federation.
CECA was represented in the debate by CECA Southern Executive Director Dave Allen (below), with Minister for Industry Chris McDonald MP, Jim Dickson MP, Rico Wojtulewicz of the National Federation of Builders, ACE’s Kate Jennings, and Jeff May of the Construction Products Association. Mike Reader MP joined the panel shortly afterwards. The debate was chaired by Chloe McCulloch of ‘Building’ magazine.
The debate addressed two of the biggest challenges facing the sector: skills shortages and low productivity, both of which threaten the delivery of the Government’s ambitions to build 1.5 million new homes, retrofit five million properties, and invest in vital national infrastructure. Ahead of the debate, industry leaders set out five policy asks for the UK Government:
- Improve Pipeline Visibility – support industry-wide workload forecasting to align training and recruitment with future demand;
- Remove the Age Cap on Level 7 Apprenticeships – enable lifelong learning and stronger university–industry collaboration;
- Hold Government Accountable for Housing Delivery – ensure transparent accountability for delivering new homes and improving existing housing stock;
- Mandate Equal Visibility in Schools – give vocational and apprenticeship pathways equal prominence to university routes;
- Strengthen Infrastructure Resilience – embed resilience in physical infrastructure and the skills system to meet future economic, climate, and supply chain challenges.