All Comment articles – Page 434

  • Comment

    Help us out

    2010-02-12T00:00:00Z

    I found ǿմý’s report from the Construction Skills Network a depressing read (“Construction will be ‘in recession till 2011,’” 27 January, building.co.uk)

  • Comment

    Some finishing touches

    2010-02-12T00:00:00Z

    The Scottish government has ruled that all firms on public sector projects must be paid within 30 days. This is a splendid idea, but a few tweaks are needed to make it work

  • Comment

    Is this just fantasy?

    2010-02-12T00:00:00Z

    Are you for real man?

  • Comment

    My digital life: Jennifer Hamilton

    2010-02-12T00:00:00Z

    What’s your favourite website?

  • This belvoir is very elgoir to spot any subbing mistakes, too
    Comment

    Dam!

    2010-02-12T00:00:00Z

    “Beaver Castle”? Where, pray, is that?

  • Comment

    Sir Michael Latham: The triumph of ConstructionSkills’ diploma

    2010-02-12T00:00:00Z

    ConstructionSkills’ diploma is already proving a success with pupils. If employers continue to back it, it will make a huge difference to our training effort, says Sir Michael Latham

  • Comment

    Wonders & blunders

    2010-02-12T00:00:00Z

    Esther Rantzen heaps praise on the improvised brilliance of Salisbury cathedral, and pours vitriol on the badly built eyesore that is Luton’s Library Road car park

  • Comment

    When banter becomes bullying

    2010-02-12T00:00:00Z

    … and Joy Drummond discusses the implications of the Protection from Harassment Act in the workplace and how firms can avoid getting into trouble

  • Comment

    Philosophical advice

    2010-02-12T00:00:00Z

    University spending is vanishing, but that doesn't meant this is another LSC debacle

  • Comment

    Annual orders figures reveal extent of construction freefall – a £17 billion drop in two years

    2010-02-11T10:45:00Z

    The recession has ripped away from construction roughly £17 billion in annual new orders, despite £ billions more public sector sponsored work.That’s the clear message to me from the annual tot up of the new orders won by contractors released today.Forget the niceties of which sector is doing how well ...

  • Comment

    Was it just the cold or is it a relapse?

    2010-02-09T10:36:00Z

    There are plenty of people, “experts” indeed, who fully expect a double-dip recession for both the economy and, for that matter, house prices.For them the data emerging for January’s performance appears to be, albeit gently, vindicating their position. They will no doubt seize with alacrity the retail figures from the ...

  • Comment

    How quickly can the Government cut back on construction spending?

    2010-02-08T12:04:00Z

    It was put to me recently that, despite all talk of cuts to capital spending, many contractors held the view that UK governments have never managed to make cuts of more than 10% year on year.I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this, but three things struck me.Firstly: I ...

  • Comment

    Government burglars

    2010-02-05T13:01:00Z

    As Brian Green points out in his column on drumming up work, the government has pretty much kept the industry in business during the recession. About 40% of construction work undertaken in Britain is bought by the taxpayer, compared with 31% in the days when Northern Rock was just a ...

  • Comment

    Bulls in the housing futures market turn sheepish

    2010-02-05T11:05:00Z

    There has been a sharp change of mood among the traders of housing futures who punt large sums on the level of house prices at given years ahead.Traders had turned bullish last autumn and even at the end of the year the Tradition Future HPI was showing a projected ...

  • Comment

    Return to sender

    2010-02-05T00:00:00Z

    Last week’s story on Concentra said incorrectly that Durkan Holdings sold its 51% stake in Durkan Pudelek to Gombe Holdings

  • Comment

    The road to recovery

    2010-02-05T00:00:00Z

    Jeff Brown Here’s some good news for firms that are pursuing claims against insolvent defendants: a new bill should make it easier for you to get your money …

  • Comment

    … and new ones, too

    2010-02-05T00:00:00Z

    Regarding Morrell’s views on older buildings: Immediate postwar construction can be equally shoddy

  • Comment

    These problems with Kickstart

    2010-02-05T00:00:00Z

    Homebuyers quite rightly are the best judges of private housing quality

  • Comment

    What problems with housing?

    2010-02-05T00:00:00Z

    It was good to see some reflection in last week’s issue on the state of housing quality (22 January, page 20)

  • Comment

    These problems with housing

    2010-02-05T00:00:00Z

    The recent problems with the Homes and Communities Agency’s Kickstart programme highlight an uncomfortable truth: many of the new homes being built in the UK aren’t good enough