The article reports that Avant Homes has agreed a repayment plan with MHCLG allowing remediation costs under the Developer Remediation Contract to be funded by government and repaid over several years. The arrangement has drawn criticism from another DRC signatory, while Avant says it provides liquidity support and MHCLG says it protects taxpayers and helps speed up cladding removal.
Bouygues UK reported a significantly larger pre-tax loss, driven by subcontractor failures, labour constraints and ongoing post-completion building-safety liabilities. The contractor also increased its provisions, with most of the balance linked to customer warranty obligations and expected remediation costs, while warning that financial pressure is likely to continue into 2026.
Bouygues’ UK arm has remained in the red, with losses exceeding £200m over the past four years. The contractor says its results have been affected by inflation, subcontractor failures and building safety liabilities.
Chestertons reports that some landlords are increasing advertised rents in response to the Renters’ Rights Act ban on encouraging bidding wars, aiming to preserve target rental income without inviting competitive offers. The article also notes stronger rental growth in the latest Rightmove data, with London outpacing the rest of Britain for the first time since late 2023.
The article argues that extreme heat is increasingly affecting construction costs, productivity and programme certainty, with many organisations lacking dedicated weather-adaptation budgets. It highlights how standard contract mechanisms, including NEC4 and JCT, may not automatically provide relief unless weather conditions meet specific thresholds, making proactive planning and record-keeping essential.
The HSE has said it will not introduce special measures aimed specifically at preventing deaths of construction workers aged 60 and over, arguing that age itself is not the primary risk factor. Instead, it emphasised that employers should assess individual vulnerabilities and adapt risk assessments accordingly, while noting that the construction workforce is ageing. The HSE also indicated that its response to the consultation on possible updates to RIDDOR reporting requirements will be published in the coming months.
Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig has called for lessons to be learned from the approval of PLP’s Astley Park industrial scheme in Wigan, following strong local opposition over its proximity to homes. An independent audit found Wigan Council followed national planning procedure, but said the developer’s pre-application consultation was wholly inadequate.
The Environment Agency has granted an environmental permit variation to Drax Power Limited for carbon capture at its bioenergy plant near Selby in Yorkshire. The decision followed multiple consultations and a review of revised emissions risk information, with the regulator concluding that the operator meets the required environmental conditions.
Bath & North East Somerset Council is consulting on a revised housing enforcement and financial penalty policy aimed at landlords, with tougher starting penalties for issues including electrical safety breaches and HMO fire standard failures. The update follows new duties and powers under the Renters Rights Act and includes the possibility of increasing penalties by 50% where aggravating factors are present.
The article argues that conveyancing firms should not trust AI tools simply because they produce fluent, confident answers. It says suppliers should be asked how accuracy was measured, against what benchmark, and how the tool performs on high-risk errors, especially where outputs are relied on as assurances.
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers has challenged a Legal Services Consumer Panel report, saying it still contains inaccuracies despite a published clarification. The dispute centres on how the BBC Panorama investigation into conditional selling and referral fees was described, and whether the CLC was unfairly linked to the practices under scrutiny.
RG Carter reported lower turnover and profit for the year to 31 December 2025, citing delays to projects starting on site and a reduced workforce. Despite the weaker trading performance, the company said its order book is stronger for 2026 and its cash position and net assets improved over the year.
