Government policy

Government policy

This subtopic looks at the policies of UK government departments and public regulatory bodies which will be of interest to construction lawyers and which may influence how businesses

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Latest Construction News

ISO joins World Bank for release of the World Development Report 2025

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has joined the World Bank in releasing the World Development Report 2025. The report is the first to focus entirely on the role of international standards in global development, emphasising how they function as essential infrastructure for economic growth, trade, innovation, and sustainability. In this context, the report underscores the importance of construction and building standards, noting that they make up a major share of mandatory technical regulations across countries. These standards are essential for ensuring building safety, structural reliability, and public protection. They rely on strong quality infrastructure systems, including testing, inspection, certification, and accreditation, to ensure compliance. The report also notes that construction standards play a growing role in energy efficiency and environmental performance, linking the built environment to wider development and climate goals. The ISO and the World Bank call for broader global participation, stronger national standards bodies, and expanded support for capacity building to ensure that standards are relevant, inclusive, and aligned with development needs.

CIC outlines how Pilot feedback will shape UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard Version one

The Construction Industry Council has reported that the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (the Standard) Pilot—run between April and August 2025 and applied to 205 projects across varied sectors—has generated feedback now being incorporated into Version 1, due for launch in early 2026. The findings confirm that a single industry standard for defining and verifying net zero carbon buildings is both necessary and workable, and have prompted the introduction of new annexes on delineation, ‘deeming to satisfy’ and an optional validity check at practical completion, alongside an updated verification process and forthcoming supporting resources. Wider reported benefits included enhanced credibility, improved investor confidence, better design and strengthened collaboration, with the Standard’s Pre-Launch Update.

Construction weekly highlights—11 December 2025

This week's edition of Construction weekly highlights includes two related Technology and Construction Court (TCC) decisions concerning an alleged error in an adjudicator’s decision, in respect of the disputed incorporation of a programme into a sub-contract (Kingsmead v Laycock), a TCC decision on whether a defendant had properly raised a jurisdictional challenge that it could rely on in adjudication enforcement proceedings (Murnells v Beale), analysis of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC)’s Practice Note III: Decisions: Preparation and Composition, publication of a Senedd analysis of the Building Safety (Wales) Bill, guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on reserving below-threshold competitions under the Procurement Act 2023, launch of Great British Energy (GBE)’s Strategic Plan setting its 2030 targets, and changes to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)’s funding and grants model.

Senedd progresses Building Safety (Wales) Bill to Stage 2 committee consideration

The Building Safety (Wales) Bill has advanced to Stage 2 committee consideration as of 10 December 2025, following the agreement on the Legislative Consent Motion and Financial Resolution. Introduced by Cabinet Secretary Jayne Bryant MS, the Bill seeks to establish a comprehensive building safety regime for multi-occupied residential buildings in Wales. It requires the registration of buildings that are at least 11 metres high or comprise five or more storeys, and it assigns new responsibilities to local authorities, designating them as building safety and fire and rescue authorities.