JCT Contracts
The JCT 2016 Edition of contracts has been superseded by JCT 2024, which members should be using to ensure their contracts are up to date. JCT 2016 is now only available in hardcopy while stocks last and online until 31 December 2026. All JCT 2024 forms can be purchased via the JCT online store.
2026 UK Fencing Awards – Entries Open & Excitement Building
Entries are now open for the 2026 UK Fencing Awards, taking place on 12th November at Old Trafford — and this year’s event is already shaping up to be something special.
Alongside celebrating the very best across the fencing industry, we’re also planning a standout evening, with a very special guest speaker set to be announced soon – one you won’t want to miss!
The awards recognise excellence across the sector — from contractor projects and supplier performance to emerging talent and individual achievement.
With a wide range of categories, including NEW for 2026: Women in Fencing, there’s an opportunity for everyone to get involved and be recognised.
👉 Enter now: www.afiorg.uk
We are also inviting nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award
📩 info@theafi.co.uk
More details about the event — including our guest speaker — will be revealed in the coming weeks.
For now, make sure you’ve got your entries in.
NDA Consultation
The Government is consulting on new regulations that will void any clauses in a non‐disclosure agreement (NDA) between a worker and their employer which seek to prevent a worker from speaking out about workplace harassment or discrimination. The deadline to submit a response to the consultation is 8 July.
Immigration Update
As part of its plan to reduce net migration, the Government is implementing a raft of changes to the Points‐Based Immigration System and recently updated the statutory guidance for employers holding a sponsor licence, increasing their responsibilities when sponsoring workers from outside the UK, including those on a Skilled Worker Visa.
- The updated guidance includes a new requirement for employers to carry out right to work checks on any worker they wish to sponsor who is not their direct employee, as well as any worker they are looking to ‘directly engage’.
- There is a new pay period framework requiring sponsored workers to be paid the required salary in pay periods of at least monthly frequency, and the salary paid in each pay period to equal or exceed the going rate for every hour worked in that pay period.
Sponsored workers must now be actively informed about their UK employment and welfare rights, and the employer must keep records of how they have informed them.
Employers found not to be complying with the guidance may have their sponsor licence downgraded, suspended or withdrawn. Build UK’s flowchart providing an overview of the process of employing a worker from outside the UK is being regularly updated, along with our detailed guidance on How to Get a Sponsor Licence and How to Apply for a Skilled Worker Visa.
Benchmarking Accident Rates
Build UK has published its annual accident survey report, summarising the accidents reported by our tier one Contractor members under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) in 2024/25. It shows that Build UK Contractor members have lower injury incidence rates than the wider industry for fatal, specified and over‐7‐day accidents. Build UK is the only organisation that collates this data for tier one contractors in construction, which can be used as a benchmark to support health and safety improvements across the supply chain.
The HSE is currently consulting on proposed changes to RIDDOR, including expanding the lists of Dangerous Occurrences and occupational diseases that must be reported, and the deadline to submit a response is 30 June. There is also a consultation underway on updating the Control of Lead at Work Regulations, which would include lowering blood lead exposure limits and updating the Approved Code of Practice, and the deadline to submit a response is 24 May.