The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published its monthly construction update, with monthly output volume estimated to have increased by 0.4% in August 2024. This was attributed to an increase in new work (1.6% increase), as there was a decrease in repair and maintenance (1.0% decrease). At the sectoral level, monthly output increased in five out of the nine sectors. The main contributors to this increase were private housing new work (3.4% increase) and private commercial new work (2.2% increase). Construction output is estimated to have increased by 1.0% in the three months leading to August 2024, resulting from an increase in new work (1.7% increase), while repair and maintenance showed no growth.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published its monthly construction update, with monthly output volume estimated to have increased by 1.9% in May 2024. This was attributed to increases in both new work (2.7% increase), and repair and maintenance (0.8% increase). At the sectoral level, eight out of the nine sectors saw growth in May 2024. The main contributors to this increase were total new private and public housing (2.8% increase), new infrastructure work (3.5% increase), and non-housing repair and maintenance (2.1% increase). Construction output is estimated to have decreased by 0.7% in the three months leading to May 2024, resulting from a 0.9% decrease in new work, and a 0.3% decrease in repair and maintenance.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published its construction update for Quarter 3 of 2024, covering July to September 2024. In Quarter 3 of 2024, output volume is estimated to have increased by 0.8%, attributed to an increase in new work (2.0%), as there was a decrease in repair and maintenance (0.6%). The monthly construction output for September 2024 is estimated to have increased by 0.1%, resulting from a rise in repair and maintenance (0.4%), as there was a decrease in new work (0.2%). At the sectoral level, four out of the nine sectors saw growth in September 2024. The main contributor to this increase was private housing repair and maintenance (1.3%). Total new construction orders decreased by 22.0% in Quarter 3, resulting from decreases in private new housing (31.3%) and private commercial new work (20.8%). The annual rate of construction output prices increased by 2.0% in the 12 months leading up to September 2024.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published two guidance notes addressing the Fire and Emergency File (FEF) and the Building Regulations Compliance Statement (BRCS) for Building Control approval applications related to new Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs) at Gateway 2 and Gateway 3. These notes provide detailed instructions on the preparation, content, and management of the respective documents. The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has observed that, despite overall improvements in the quality of the FEF and BRCS, deficiencies in these documents have contributed to some application rejections. In addition, the CLC has updated guidance note 01, which focuses on the building safety regime for new HRBs.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published new guidance on Building Control Approval Applications for new Higher-Risk Buildings (Gateway 2). Developed in collaboration with industry stakeholders and the Building Safety Regulator, the guidance outlines the baseline principles for both submitting and assessing applications. It provides practical recommendations on the approach and submission of relevant information for professionals involved in the building control approval process for higher-risk buildings.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a report on boosting routes into the Construction industry, specifically from an employer's perspective. The report highlights four significant challenges the construction and built environment sector face: reducing the major skills shortage, improving productivity and upskilling the workforce, supporting the UK with its Net Zero targets and ensuring compliance in line with the Building Safety Regulator. In response to these challenges, the CLC carried out a review and has outlined several recommendations to address the UK skills system, retaining routes into the industry, carding and recruitment.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a report titled ‘Roadmap of Skills for Net Zero: Competences for Domestic Retrofit’. The CLC has highlighted the importance of retrofitting domestic properties across the UK and produced this report to support the development of a competent workforce. The CLC’s People & Skills workstream has, in this report, set out a consistent framework of ‘overarching knowledge, skills and behaviours’ to support the retrofitting industry for those with both retrofit specific roles and associated roles.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a report examining the low uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK construction sector, which currently stands at just 5.2%. The report identifies four key barriers to EV uptake: limited home charging infrastructure, on-site charging challenges, legislative issues concerning Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) EVs, and high ownership costs. To address these issues, the report recommends improving public charging networks, installing separate meters in employees’ homes, adopting a more strategic approach to on-site charging, and amending legislation to remove LCV EVs from Heavy Goods Vehicle thresholds. Additionally, the report suggests offering financial incentives, such as capital offset for firms investing in EVs and reduced Ministry of Transport testing costs.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a report detailing the industry’s progress in improving building safety in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The report concludes that while progress has been made, a significant amount of work is required to fulfil the CLC’s ambition of delivering safe buildings. The report outlines the ongoing work in relation to building safety, which is one of the CLC’s four strategic priorities, and clarifies that this work will be reviewed once the Phase 2 Report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry has been published.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a research report outlining the views of senior managers in the construction product manufacturing industry on digitisation. This report was commissioned by the Plain Language Group and indicates that the demand for digitised product information, as detailed in the Building Safety Act 2022 and Golden Thread guidelines, is not reaching construction product manufacturers. It also highlights that manufacturers are experiencing difficulties and not prioritising digitisation, requiring specific incentivisation and support to implement the necessary changes.

The CLC (Construction Leadership Council) has published a response to the government’s construction policy framework, ahead of the Spring Budget 2024. Several recommendations have been presented to the Chancellor, with the aim of preserving and growing UK infrastructure and housing. The recommendations presented by the CLC are primarily focused on housing, infrastructure and environment.

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a statement addressing the ongoing practice in the construction sector where clients and their solicitors amend industry-approved forms of contracts to introduce onerous or difficult to insure terms. The CLC asserts that such amendments can make contracts impractical, reduce competition, increase risks, and lead to unnecessary legal costs to review the resulting legal liabilities. It encourages clients to use standard form engineering and building contracts and professional services contracts issued by contract-producing bodies, and to make modifications only when necessary to address project-specific risks and relationships.