All Comment articles – Page 434
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Help us out
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)
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Some finishing touches
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
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Sir Michael Latham: The triumph of ConstructionSkills’ diploma
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
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Wonders & blunders
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
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When banter becomes bullying
… and Joy Drummond discusses the implications of the Protection from Harassment Act in the workplace and how firms can avoid getting into trouble
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Philosophical advice
University spending is vanishing, but that doesn't meant this is another LSC debacle
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Annual orders figures reveal extent of construction freefall – a £17 billion drop in two years
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 ...
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Was it just the cold or is it a relapse?
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 ...
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How quickly can the Government cut back on construction spending?
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 ...
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Government burglars
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 ...
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Bulls in the housing futures market turn sheepish
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 ...
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Return to sender
Last week’s story on Concentra said incorrectly that Durkan Holdings sold its 51% stake in Durkan Pudelek to Gombe Holdings
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The road to recovery
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 …
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… and new ones, too
Regarding Morrell’s views on older buildings: Immediate postwar construction can be equally shoddy
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These problems with Kickstart
Homebuyers quite rightly are the best judges of private housing quality
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What problems with housing?
It was good to see some reflection in last week’s issue on the state of housing quality (22 January, page 20)
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These problems with housing
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