Tuesday: 29/04/2025 / News

Daily News: 29/04/2025

More than 200,000 children in England could be living in short-term housing by 2029, with the cost to the taxpayer projected to rise to £3.9bn, as the number of children in temporary accommodation is forecast to increase by 26%. The Guardian

Home Group exceeded expectations, completing 952 homes in the first nine months of the year, a 7% increase compared to last year, as part of its focus on affordable home ownership. In Edinburgh, councillors approved a plan to pause the lettings policy, enabling the conversion of 120 void homes into temporary accommodation to address homelessness. Leeds Jewish Housing Association achieved a 13.5% rise in customer satisfaction, reaching 82.9% in an all-tenant survey. Housing Today (register), Housing Today (register), and The Scarborough News

Tier one contractor Willmott Dixon has appointed Phoenix Brickwork to support delivery on two of its major building projects, strengthening its supply chain for upcoming construction works. The Construction Index

Property group Watkin Jones expects to report a “small positive” operating profit for the first half of the financial year, supported by two new development partnerships and a sharpened operational focus. Meanwhile, JJ Rhatigan has nearly doubled UK profits on the back of record turnover hitting £154m. Insider Media, Construction Enquirer

The Electrical Contractors’ Association has called for a national electrification taskforce to guide the clean energy transition, with cross-department collaboration on transport, housing, and skills. At the same time, the Construction Products Association forecasts modest growth for the UK construction sector in 2025, citing global uncertainty, especially U.S. trade tariffs, as a key risk. Construction News (register), The Construction Index

Building safety delays are blamed for new housing starts in London reaching a 16-year low, with 23 out of 33 boroughs seeing no new projects in Q1 2025. Delays in Gateway 2 approvals are cited as a major cause. Housing Today (register)

The LGA has urged the UK government to mandate rooftop solar panels on all new homes, pointing out that only 40% of new builds currently include them. This move, they argue, would boost local climate action. In contrast, recent government policy allowing wood-burning stoves in new homes in England has faced criticism due to growing evidence of their negative health and climate effects. Local Government Association, The Guardian

In February 2025, construction firms made up 19.5% of all insolvencies in England and Wales, with 367 construction businesses becoming insolvent, according to data from the Insolvency Service. BCIS

In the year to March 2025, the Planning Inspectorate made 18,346 decisions, with more cases closed than received, indicating improved case-handling efficiency. PBC Today

Nearly 200 new homes are planned for Yeovil’s western edge. Russell LDP proposed 545 homes in Stockport, including a care home and independent living units. A 217-home development near Ingleby school in Teesside could create 160 jobs and boost the local economy by £33m. Plans for 125 homes at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games athletes’ village are also moving forward. Chard and Ilminster News, Place North West, Teesside Live, and Glasgow Times

Tuesday: 29/04/2025 / Awards

Contract Awards: 29/04/2025

Discover the latest UK social housing contract awards featuring kitchen refurbishments, fire door upgrades, wetroom installations, and new-build housing developments.

Modernising essential facilities, Barnet Homes has awarded Lura Constructions a £3.6m, 36-month contract for its Kitchen and Bathroom Replacement Programme. The boroughwide project includes asbestos surveys, fire door replacements, gas and electrical safety checks, and full refurbishments to kitchens and bathrooms, with work carried out in both occupied and void properties. Focusing on accessibility, Colchester Borough Council has selected N P G Barron Building Services for a £979k, 12-month contract to deliver wetroom, bathroom, and WC refurbishments under its Housing Investment Programme. The agreement includes the option to extend for three additional years based on annual performance. Enhancing fire safety, Ashford Borough Council has awarded Harmony Fire a £2.4m contract to provide fire door replacements and ancillary works through a call-off from the LHC framework. This 12-month programme strengthens compliance across residential buildings.

Supporting life-saving safety systems, Mid Devon District Council appointed Coomber Security Systems to carry out communal fire detection and emergency lighting servicing under a 23-month contract. The work spans both communal areas and individual flats. Expanding affordable housing, Kingdom Housing Association contracted Persimmon Homes North Scotland for a £9.86m, design-and-build housing development in Crieff. The appointment, made via negotiated procedure, is linked to land ownership terms and delivery commitments under the Perth and Kinross housing strategy. Pushing forward with regeneration, Westminster City Council selected Willmott Dixon Construction for two major new-build contracts including a £9.29m 12-month project at Queens Park Court, and a £7.23m, 11-month replacement contract for Torridon House. The Torridon award follows the insolvency of the previous contractor and will complete 21 social rent homes through direct appointment under the Southern Construction Framework. Addressing urgent repairs at height, River Clyde Homes has engaged KPM Contractors under a 2-month, £242k, framework to manage high access works such as gutter, soffit, render, and minor roof repairs. The project targets a backlog of over 400 outstanding jobs and will initially involve three approved contractors.

Tuesday: 29/04/2025 / Tenders

Contract Tenders: 29/04/2025

Explore the latest UK social housing and public sector tenders including contracts for accessibility upgrades, housing regeneration, kitchen replacements, FM frameworks, and damp remediation. Key bidding opportunities for contractors and SMEs in 2025.

Elevating accessibility and expanding housing in Newcastle, the Newcastle City Council has issued a £10.68m Pipeline Notice for a 36-month Aids and Adaptations Framework, covering stair lifts, hoists, platform lifts, and access works to support independent living. In parallel, a £7.08m notice has been released for the construction of approximately 50 new homes at Church Walk, Walker—further strengthening the city’s housing pipeline. Driving regeneration across Wokingham, the Wokingham Borough Council has launched several key development notices including a £20.83m scheme at Gorse Ride Phase 2B to deliver 94 homes in Finchampstead, an £8.16m brownfield redevelopment at Emmbrook Meadows for 30 affordable dwellings, a £5.83m project to build Short Breaks Accommodation and a Day Centre, and a £4.83m affordable housing scheme at Wellington Road—all structured over 24 months and subject to planning and funding approvals.

In Greenwich, the Greenwich London Borough has published a 66-month, £6.4m Energy Centre Management contract focused on billing for communal heating, alongside a £12m , 30-month programme for four new build housing sites. These are complemented by a £80m, 48-month Construction Framework to deliver works under £2m, reinforcing the borough’s long-term development strategy. At the national scale, Pagabo, on behalf of Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, is preparing a £47bn National Framework for Developer-Led Schemes, spanning 48 months from April 2026. This extensive closed framework will include lots for SPVs, development agreements, legal providers, and consultancy services, open to public sector entities UK-wide.

Renfrewshire Council is engaging suppliers via a PIN for a large-scale Maintenance and Refurbishment programme across 3,175 tenanted properties, including kitchen, bathroom, and electrical upgrades. Contractors are invited to submit responses to the market questionnaire by 9 May 2025 to help shape the future tender. In a bid to improve housing health outcomes, Waverley Borough Council is procuring a £1.5m, 24-month Damp, Mould and Condensation Remediation contract, encompassing ventilation systems, mould cleaning, and associated works for over 500 homes. In Glasgow, Milnbank Housing Association has released a £500k, 7-month tender for kitchen replacements across 77 properties, prioritising upgrades based on stock condition survey results and SHQS compliance.

NHS Shared Business Services has unveiled a landmark £400m Hard FM Framework running for 24 months with an optional two-year extension. Covering over 30 lots, the framework spans building management, mechanical and electrical, drainage, roofing, statutory inspections, and managed FM services—open to a wide range of NHS and public sector bodies. Lastly, Mole Valley District Council is inviting tenders for a £100k, 2-month refurbishment to convert 21 High Street, Leatherhead, from commercial to residential use. The works involve internal alterations to create two new flats, contributing to the area’s adaptive reuse and housing supply.

Monday: 28/04/2025 / News

Daily News: 28/04/2025

The Boards of Paradigm and Settle have approved an initial business case to form a partnership and have begun consulting their residents, with designated appointments also announced to lead the new organisation. Paradigm Housing Group Ltd.

Clarion Housing Group increased its completions by 12%, boosting turnover and surplus, but fell short of its delivery target and warned that its overall surplus will be hit by a £20m building safety impairment. Housing Today (register)

Social care services for 800 adults in Salford, currently delivered by Aspire for Intelligent Care and Support, are set to return to council control, with around 350 staff providing 744,000 hours of care annually. Meanwhile, Barnsley has seen a 2,250% rise in damp and mould complaints in social housing over three years, and tenant satisfaction at Bield has climbed to nearly 85%, marking a strong year-on-year improvement. Salford City Council, The Star, and Scottish Housing News

Private landlords and hotels are “cashing in” on England’s hidden homelessness crisis, with half of councils paying double the market rent for temporary accommodation. At the same time, Private landlords also warn that the Renters’ Rights Bill could threaten student housing supply by blocking them from reclaiming smaller student properties at the end of the academic year. The Guardian, Housing Today (register)

Owner-occupiers aged 60 and above now hold a record £2.89tn in net housing wealth, with homes collectively valued at £2.95tn, according to Savills’ latest housing wealth assessment. Savills

Deconstruct has secured a £12.25m contract to carefully dismantle Grenfell Tower. Govanhill Housing Association has reappointed City Technical Services to manage its gas servicing and safety checks under a Procurement for Housing Scotland contract. Additionally, Red Construction has landed a £31m deal to redevelop a significant student accommodation block in Shoreditch, on the edge of the City of London. Construction Enquirer, Scottish Housing News, and Construction Enquirer

Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council has served Persimmon Homes with a second Temporary Stop Notice within a year, this time halting work at the Brascote Park development in Newbold Verdon. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council

James Butler, a key figure in the UK facades sector, has rejoined cladding supplier Vivalda Group as specification sales and marketing director after working at European GRC cladding brand Rieder. Furthermore, Bowmer & Kirkland reported a nearly 30% rise in pre-tax profits to £69m, with turnover increasing to £1.29bn despite market challenges. The Construction Index, Construction Enquirer

In the last quarter of 2024, around 32,000 homes were started, while over 49,000 homes were completed. Office for National Statistics

Plans for 456 new homes on a former gasworks site in Surrey have been approved, while up to 420 homes will be built on a former Ministry of Defence site in Stafford. In Whitchurch near Basingstoke, a plan for 183 new homes and medical space has been given the green light, and in Kent, a development of 350 new homes, a primary school, and commercial space is moving forward. BBC, BBC, Basingstoke Gazette, and Kent Live

Monday: 28/04/2025 / Awards

Contract Awards: 28/04/2025

Celebrating excellence in UK social housing, today’s major awards spotlight gas auditing, electrical safety, security upgrades, landmark restoration, and vibrant community renewal — uncover the latest winners and projects driving sector innovation.

Setting a strong precedent for compliance and safety, Thirteen Group has appointed Corgi Technical Services for their External Gas Auditing 2025 (Call-off) contract valued at £145k. Spanning 24 months, the agreement covers domestic and commercial gas post-inspections, work-in-progress checks, and external audits to uphold stringent gas quality control across the North East and Yorkshire footprint.

Bolstering electrical safety standards, Lewisham London Borough has entrusted Sureserve Compliance Central with the Electrical Inspection, Testing (EICR) and Renewals 2024 contract. Worth £7.8m over 36 months, the project focuses on thorough electrical inspection, testing, and essential renewals to ensure tenant safety and compliance across Lewisham.

Enhancing security measures, Sheffield City Council has awarded Elite Security Systems a £1.017m contract for Security – Burglar and Intruder Alarms. Over a 48-month term, the supplier will manage installation, repairs, and maintenance of critical alarm systems safeguarding residential and council properties throughout Sheffield.

Addressing crucial maintenance at a landmark site, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has confirmed a £12.25m contract variation with Deconstruct (UK) for continued works as Principal Contractor at Grenfell Tower. This vital service maintains the building’s safety under regulatory compliance through a carefully structured contractual adjustment.

Undertaking vital restorative efforts, Fowler Building Contractors has been selected by Brighton & Hove City Council to deliver external and internal repairs, redecorations, and window replacements at 71-73 Grand Parade. The 4-month project underscores the council’s commitment to maintaining building integrity in Brighton. Revitalizing neighbourhood exteriors, Procast Building Contractors secured a £884k contract from West Lothian Council for Render Works Dedridge Area 2025–2027. Covering a 24-month programme, the project aims to enhance the visual appeal and weather resistance of council properties across West Lothian through comprehensive rendering services.