Government Sets Out Priorities
At the State Opening of Parliament last week, the King outlined the programme of legislation that the Government intends to pursue in this parliamentary session. Highlighting that the UK’s ‘economic security depends upon world class infrastructure’, this year’s King’s Speech covered 35 bills, and the key ones for businesses in construction include:
- Commercial Payments Bill – Tackling late payments by introducing new measures such as maximum payment terms of 60 days, mandatory interest on late payments, and prohibiting the withholding of retentions.
- Northern Powerhouse Rail Bill – Improving services between the North of England’s key cities by providing the necessary powers to take forward delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail when the design has been completed.
- Highways (Financing) Bill – Unlocking greater levels of private capital investment in road infrastructure, such as the Lower Thames Crossing, through the introduction of a new Regulated Asset Base funding model.
- Social Housing Renewal Bill – Increasing long-term investment in social housing by incentivising the building of new social rented homes and protecting existing stock.
The Commercial Payments Bill was introduced to Parliament this week with its first reading in the House of Lords. It sets out how existing legislation will be amended to introduce the new payment measures, including the ban on retentions. Once the section of the Bill relating to retentions comes into force, there will be a two-year transition period, during which time retentions can still be used. There will then be a ‘last retention day’ one year after that when all retention monies will become due and must be paid. The Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent in early 2027 and the Government has confirmed that it will consult on the timing for the section on retentions to come into force.
2026 UK Fencing Awards – Entries Building Ahead of November
With entries continuing to come in from across the industry, excitement is building for the 2026 UK Fencing Awards, taking place on 12th November at Old Trafford.
The Awards recognise excellence across the fencing sector, with categories covering contractor projects, apprentices, suppliers and individual achievement.
Categories include:
- Contractor categories across all sectors
- Project of the Year
- Apprentice of the Year
- NEW for 2026: Women in Fencing
- Lifetime Achievement Award
Whether you’re showcasing a standout project, putting forward an emerging talent, or recognising someone who has made a lasting impact on the industry, there’s still time to enter.
Enter here
Lifetime Achievement nominations: info@theafi.co.uk
And while we can’t reveal everything just yet… preparations are well underway for what promises to be a fantastic evening, with a very special guest speaker set to be announced in early June.
Trust us — it’ll be worth the wait.
Capital Grants 2026
Through Capital Grants in 2026, £225 million will be available to support farmers, land managers and rural businesses to deliver environmental improvements across England.
When the offer opens in July, Capital Grants will fund a range of items from hedgerow and tree planting through to works that improve water quality.
We are currently finalising the items that will be available in this year’s offer. The full list will be published in May alongside the guidance ahead of the offer opening.
In the same way as last year’s offer, the items will be organised into the following groups:
- Boundaries, trees and orchards
- Water quality
- Air quality
- Natural flood management
- Assessments
- Improvements
Funding limits will continue to apply to 4 of the 6 groups in the offer:
- £25,000 for the water quality, air quality, and natural flood management groups
- £35,000 for the boundaries, trees and orchards group.
Each application can include items from these groups up to the limit, plus items from the assessments or improvements group.
Supplier of the Year – Have You Asked Your Customers Yet?
The Supplier of the Year Award, proudly sponsored by Scanpole, is back for the 2026 UK Fencing Awards — and now’s the time to start pushing for nominations.
This award gives contractors the opportunity to recognise the suppliers who consistently deliver great service, quality products and reliable support across the industry.
Suppliers – get promoting!
If you haven’t already started encouraging nominations, now’s the perfect time to get the message out to your customers.
Use your:
- Social media channels
- Depot displays
- Invoice inserts
- Email signatures
- Customer communications
The more visible you make the campaign, the more chance you have of being recognised by the people who matter most — your customers.
Contractors – nominate your trusted suppliers
Who goes the extra mile for your business?
Who delivers when it matters most?
Now’s your opportunity to recognise the suppliers you rely on.
Nominate now
Implementing the Safety Helmet Colours Standard
Safety Helmet Colours Standard provides a consistent approach to identifying the roles of individuals on site through the colour‐coding of their safety helmets, which not only reduces duplication but contributes to a safer working environment. It is now the recognised standard for construction in the UK, and we are keen to see it reflected in images of the industry, as well as on site.
Historically, images of yellow helmets have been used to represent a typical construction worker, but these are not recognised within the standard, and we are encouraging members across the supply chain to support the continued implementation of the standard by ensuring it is reflected in marketing communications and other materials.
Bank of England Update
Build UK hosted its annual roundtable with the Bank of England last week, which offered a unique insight into the state of the UK economy and the issues affecting the construction sector and impacting the delivery of projects, including cost inflation caused by the war in Iran and the new quotas and tariffs in the Government’s Steel Strategy.
The Bank of England is currently expecting inflation, including wage inflation, to remain at 3.5% for the rest of the year. However, there is significant uncertainty due to current events, with increased fuel and energy costs expected to be felt through the supply chain in Q3. The current data indicates a modest drop in growth across the UK economy, rather than a recession, and interest rates have remained at 3.75% since December 2025. Build UK’s guidance on Managing Price Inflation, produced with the support of Wedlake Bell LLP, sets out how to manage the risks of cost escalation over the life of a project, including the use of fluctuations provisions.
Client and Contractor members reported that viability of projects was a challenge, with businesses carefully selecting investment opportunities, resulting in a slowdown in workload and project starts. Certainty remains key for members of all sizes, which is essential to provide the confidence to invest in people, equipment and technology.