Daily News: 23/02/2026
Housing leaders across England are urging the government to introduce a national strategy to bring empty homes back into use, warning that persistent vacancy levels reflect deeper structural pressures in the housing system, particularly as temporary accommodation demand continues to rise, while Liverpool City Council faces potential costs of up to £90m over the next few years to house people experiencing homelessness. BBC, BBC
Ealing Council plans to demolish 105 part-built affordable homes after determining it is more cost-effective to restart schemes left incomplete following the collapse of Henry Construction. Construction Enquirer
Torus Group has appointed law firms to its £6.5m legal services framework, its first major procurement under the Procurement Act 2023. Meanwhile, Saxon Weald has selected Solvares Field Service and Infinity Group to implement a real-time scheduling solution supporting repairs and maintenance across nearly 7,000 homes. Housing Digital, LABM
TClarke is targeting £1bn in annual revenue as it strengthens its board to support the next phase of business expansion. Construction Enquirer
A report by Saint-Gobain and Arup says climate impacts on buildings are unavoidable and calls for urgent adaptation through resilient design and materials to manage overheating, flooding, and extreme weather, positioning adaptation as a core requirement for future development. Saint-Gobain
Chartered Institute of Housing Northern Ireland has raised concerns over a significant drop in new home starts in the October-December 2025 period, warning that wastewater infrastructure capacity constraints are continuing to hinder housing delivery. Chartered Institute of Housing
The UK’s construction labour shortage continues to threaten housing delivery, with the Construction Regions Risk Report highlighting a 2.2% annual labour shortfall in the North of England, while data from BCIS shows the construction workforce has fallen by more than 300,000 workers between 2005 and 2025 based on Office for National Statistics figures. PBC Today, BCIS
Approval was granted for 361 homes on the edge of Northampton, while proposals elsewhere remain under debate, including a 350-home scheme on the former Camelot Theme Park site in Chorley amid traffic concerns and a major 1,500-home development near Bridgnorth approaching a planning decision. Large-scale growth is also being explored through plans for up to 1,200 homes in Castle Donington and a 520-bed student accommodation scheme in London by Telford Living. Meanwhile, Story Homes has submitted plans for 205 homes in Whitburn, with 40% designated as affordable housing. BBC, Lancashire Telegraph, Express & Star, Insider Media, Construction Enquirer, and Housing Executive