Author name: Natasha Solomon

A Dorset building contractor has filed for administration after being hit by rising costs and a contract dispute. Dorchester-based Acheson Construction appointed administrators from Grant Thornton last Tuesday (18 February) with 40 of its 48 employees made immediately redundant. A statement from Grant Thornton’s Richard Lewis said: “The business has been impacted by increased costs

Detectives investigating the Didcot Power Station collapse in which four men died have said the probe is entering its “latter stages”, as the ninth anniversary of the tragedy approaches. Coleman & Company employees Ken Cresswell, 57, Chris Huxtable, 34, John Shaw, 61, and Mick Collings, 53, died when the 10-storey high boiler house at the

Hundreds of construction firms have signed up to take part in a legal claim against firms involved in a trucking cartel – with others being encouraged to get involved, according to the action’s organiser. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) – which represents coach, van and haulage firms in the UK – is leading a lawsuit

A trio of appointments at a steel specialist made the headlines in this week’s people moves. Embrace Steel announced the three senior hires for two of its subsidiaries on Monday (17 February), a month after the constructional steel start-up appointed a new chief financial officer. Richard Wigley and Ben Thomas Richard Wigley has joined Shufflebottom

Basildon Borough Council has threatened to terminate Morgan Sindall’s lucrative maintenance contract unless it sees “drastic improvements” in the quality of work.  Council leader Gavin Callaghan said the authority has invested an additional £16m into the repair and maintenance of council properties over the past year “due to the diabolical state [in which] our housing

A formwork specialist has been cleared of breaking the law by making payments to a labour agency whose supply chain had been involved in tax fraud. First Tier Tax tribunal judge Michael Blackwell and tribunal member Gill Hunter overturned an unspecified financial penalty issued in 2022 by HMRC to Cheema Construction Services (CCS) Ltd –

Construction industry figures have welcomed plans for a new national steel strategy, but have called for the government to back up its warm words with action. At the weekend, the Department for Business and Trade opened a consultation on devising a strategy for the UK steel sector, with mooted options including stimulating demand for domestically

Damien Sharkey is managing director of build-to-rent developer HUB How can we balance the need to ensure building safety with development certainty, to allow the delivery of much-needed homes? As the Building Safety Act rightly makes clear, delivering homes that are safe to live in is fundamental and non-negotiable. But the Building Safety Regulator’s (BSR)

A £970m public sector building and maintenance framework has opened for tenders. The Communities & Housing Investment Consortium (CHIC) is looking for contractors to take on work across a range of jobs including demolitions, extensions and groundwork. Other tasks covered by the Multi Elements of the Built Environment Framework include roofing, insulation, doors, wiring, scaffolding,