Daily News: 21/01/2026
The government has launched the Warm Homes Plan, described as the biggest home upgrade programme in British history, committing £15bn of public investment to upgrade up to 5m homes, cut energy bills, and help lift up to one million families out of fuel poverty by 2030. GOV.UK
Major plans to transform Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre have moved forward after Homes England awarded an £18.9m infrastructure funding package, which includes a UK first element within the scheme. Insider Media
Angela Rayner has urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to honour his pledge to cap ground rents in England and Wales amid cabinet divisions over leasehold reform. In Scotland, the Investigation and Commencement of Repair (Scotland) Regulations 2026 are set to require landlords to investigate reports of damp and mould and carry out repairs within a set timescale, pending parliamentary approval. The Guardian, Sky News
ECF, the joint venture between Muse, Legal & General and Homes England, has been selected by Westmorland and Furness Council to deliver a 1,350-home brownfield waterfront regeneration scheme in Barrow. Meanwhile, Homes England has entered into a building lease with Vistry to deliver 750 new homes and a retail convenience store at the former City Hospital site in Birmingham. Place North West, GOV.UK
Bristol City Leap has approved a £25m programme of works to improve the energy efficiency of social housing in north Bristol, aiming to bring homes up to a minimum EPC rating of C, while Harmony Fire has joined the £100m NHC Procurement Active Fire Framework covering fire safety services for public sector organisations across the UK. The Construction Index, Facilitate Magazine
Galliford Try has upgraded its full-year profit outlook following a stronger-than-expected performance in the first half of the year. Construction Enquirer
UK construction insolvencies fell in November, with 297 firms entering insolvency compared with 362 in October, prompting signs of sector “stabilisation”, although longer-term data shows more than 40% of construction businesses have failed over the past five years. Despite the monthly improvement, pressures persist, with several firms entering administration, including FK Facades and Construction, family-run Cheshire East Scaffolding, and South West civil contractor Roadform Civil Engineering. Construction Wave, PBC Today, Construction Enquirer, Birmingham Live, and Construction Enquirer
Northern Ireland approved a £70m scheme delivering 403 homes with a spine road and junction upgrades. In Greater Manchester, plans for 1,000 homes in Heywood progressed with an application for 186 houses, while outline proposals for up to 620 homes were submitted near Newcastle-under-Lyme. Elsewhere, 435 homes in Stockport 8 include a temporary bus depot relocation, 330 homes and community facilities are proposed on a former Essex sports ground, and Torus and Keepmoat seek approval for 212 homes in the first phase of the Cowley Hill masterplan, St Helens. News Letter, Manchester Evening News, Stoke Nub News, Place North West, Essex Live, and Place North West