{"id":9989,"date":"2026-01-26T08:58:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T08:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/?p=9989"},"modified":"2026-01-26T08:59:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T08:59:52","slug":"monday-26-01-2026-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/daily-news\/monday-26-01-2026-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday: 26\/01\/2026 \/ News"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"blue-color\">\n<h6>Daily News: 26\/01\/2026<\/h6>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">S&amp;P Global Ratings has affirmed its \u2018A\u2019 long-term credit rating on East Midlands Housing Group Ltd (EMH) with a stable outlook and revised the outlook on Plymouth Community Homes Ltd (PCH) to stable from positive while affirming its \u2018A+\u2019 rating. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spglobal.com\/ratings\/en\/regulatory\/article\/-\/view\/type\/HTML\/id\/3507144\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">S&amp;P Global<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spglobal.com\/ratings\/en\/regulatory\/article\/-\/view\/type\/HTML\/id\/3507021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">S&amp;P Global<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">External auditors have warned that Spelthorne Borough Council\u2019s finances will not be fully resolved before its merger into the new West Surrey Council, with key financial issues set to transfer to the incoming authority. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cvgp0nj5d61o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BBC<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rochdale Boroughwide Housing has received a \u00a355m cash injection as part of its ongoing \u201ccomplex improvement plan\u201d, while Edinburgh Council faces criticism for leaving \u00a360m earmarked for housing unspent this year, described by an opposition councillor as \u201cscandalous\u201d. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk\/news\/scandal-hit-social-housing-provider-33289372\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Manchester Evening News<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edinburghlive.co.uk\/news\/edinburgh-news\/edinburgh-council-branded-scandalous-60m-33292874\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edinburgh Live<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Huntingdonshire District Council has launched an empty homes plan to increase housing stock, noting that 1,292 properties were vacant in September, with 491 unused for more than six months. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/ce9ymg21ke4o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BBC<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uttlesford Council will bring its housing repair and maintenance services in-house, ending the existing contract early to improve service standards and tenant experience. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dunmowbroadcast.co.uk\/news\/25791881.uttlesford-council-provide-housing-repairs-in-house\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dunmow Broadcast<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Costain has exceeded its 4.5% margin target following a strong year of trading. Meanwhile, Forterra reported revenue of \u00a3386m but remains cautious on future market demand, and Van Elle saw revenue jump 16%, benefiting from the UK power grid upgrade boom. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructionenquirer.com\/2026\/01\/26\/costain-to-exceed-4-5-margin-target-after-strong-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Construction Enquirer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/constructionwave.co.uk\/2026\/01\/23\/forterra-boosts-revenue-to-386m-but-remains-cautious-on-market-demand\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Construction Wave<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructionenquirer.com\/2026\/01\/26\/van-elle-plugs-into-power-grid-boom-as-revenue-jumps-16\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Construction Enquirer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Glasgow\u2019s Charing Cross Gateway demolition marks the first stage of a \u00a3250m city centre regeneration set to deliver 450 homes, office space, and 750 student flats next to the station. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructionenquirer.com\/2026\/01\/26\/demolition-starts-for-250m-glasgow-charing-cross-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Construction Enquirer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The botched Tory Energy Company Obligation (ECO) insulation programme, which left homeowners facing costly repairs, casts a shadow over Labour\u2019s \u00a315bn Warm Homes Plan, with experts warning it may prioritise green energy over proper insulation. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2026\/jan\/25\/how-botched-tory-insulation-scheme-looms-over-labours-warm-homes-plan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Guardian<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A coalition of trade bodies and unions has urged the government to ensure subcontractors meet the same competence and training standards as tier-one firms on public contracts, aiming to tackle the low-pricing culture in construction. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/government\/trade-bodies-urge-changes-over-new-procurement-reforms-to-boost-standards-23-01-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Construction News (register)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Construction tender prices in the UK are expected to rise by up to 5% in 2026, raising concerns over the viability and costs of major infrastructure projects. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theconstructionindex.co.uk\/news\/view\/infrastructure-tender-costs-set-to-climb-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Construction Index<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Housebuilding in London\u2019s private sector has fallen 84% since 2015, despite the capital requiring 88,000 new homes each year to meet demand. Meanwhile, the UK Build to Rent (BTR) sector continues to attract significant investment, with nearly \u00a32.7bn poured in during Q4 2025 alone, highlighting growing interest in purpose-built rental accommodation. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cy099qv9qjlo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BBC<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pdf.euro.savills.co.uk\/uk\/residential---other\/uk-build-to-rent-market-update-2025.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Savills<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plans for up to 540 homes on Surrey farmland between Grove Heath North villages, 205 homes on the edge of Warminster, 180 homes in Sandbach despite resident objections, 150 homes on green belt land in Shirley, Solihull, 116 homes in Chadwell St Mary with public open space, and 112 homes in Helsby. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.getsurrey.co.uk\/news\/surrey-news\/plans-up-540-homes-surrey-33292469\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sussex Live<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gazetteandherald.co.uk\/news\/25788947.revised-plan-205-homes-edge-warminster\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gazette &amp; Herald<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cheshire-live.co.uk\/news\/chester-cheshire-news\/controversial-180-home-estate-plans-33287406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cheshire Live<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.birminghammail.co.uk\/news\/midlands-news\/new-housing-development-proposed-green-33284141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Birmingham Live<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yourthurrock.com\/2026\/01\/24\/bellway-submits-plans-for-116-new-homes-in-chadwell-st-mary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your Thurrock<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cheshire-live.co.uk\/news\/chester-cheshire-news\/plans-lodged-new-helsby-housing-33287061\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cheshire Live<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daily News: 26\/01\/2026 S&amp;P Global Ratings has affirmed its \u2018A\u2019 long-term credit rating on East Midlands Housing Group Ltd (EMH) with a stable outlook and revised the outlook on Plymouth Community Homes Ltd (PCH) to stable from positive while affirming its \u2018A+\u2019 rating. S&amp;P Global, S&amp;P Global External auditors have warned that Spelthorne Borough Council\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9989","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9989","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9989"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9989\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9992,"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9989\/revisions\/9992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.locarla.com\/insight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}