Re:Construction
News & Politics Podcasts
A weekly podcast in which veteran construction industry journalists Bishop and Taylor have a natter about some of the week’s events in the UK construction industry, seeking meaning even where none may exist. To keep up to date with the latest construction news every day, visit http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk. You can find the latest issue of The Construction Index magazine in WHSmith & independent newsagents UK wide - use our online store locator to find your nearest stockist today.
Location:
United States
Genres:
News & Politics Podcasts
Description:
A weekly podcast in which veteran construction industry journalists Bishop and Taylor have a natter about some of the week’s events in the UK construction industry, seeking meaning even where none may exist. To keep up to date with the latest construction news every day, visit http://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk. You can find the latest issue of The Construction Index magazine in WHSmith & independent newsagents UK wide - use our online store locator to find your nearest stockist today.
Twitter:
@TCIndex
Language:
English
Contact:
08451289700
Episodes
152: The Downfall Episode: Osborne, Yousaf and Honda Swindon
5/1/2024
In this episode Bishop & Taylor mourn the demise of Geoffrey Osborne Ltd. They also discuss how missing green targets brought down Scotland’s first minister. Also examined are demolition projects featured in the May 2024 issue of The Construction Index magazine: Honda’s Swindon plant and a bridge over the M25 at Wisley.
Duration:00:56:04
151: Could Truss be right?
4/17/2024
Britain’s briefest prime minister has a book out this week and Bishop & Taylor discuss some of the things that she’s been saying. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, they decide. So what might Liz Truss be right about? Also in this episode, checking consultants’ credentials and Taylor’s adventure in artificial intelligence.
Duration:00:51:10
150: (Im)mobile Cranes, London Supersewer and MMC Review
4/3/2024
Bishop & Taylor discuss the increasing difficulties endured by mobile crane hire companies faced with road embargos. They celebrate the completion of construction of the Thames Tideway tunnel (and hope it stops rowers vomiting). And they wonder what housing minister Lee Rowley’s MMC policy review might throw up.
Duration:00:51:37
149: Killer Materials, Dubious Contracts and National Security
3/20/2024
In an unusually wide ranging episode, Bishop & Taylor cover crystalline silica, plastic pipes, the Lower Thames Crossing, the A66, the Daily Telegraph (is it really more important to national security than nuclear power?) and stress-inducing questions.
Duration:00:51:06
148: Budget Special
3/7/2024
Bishop & Taylor are joined by Dr David Crosthwaite, chief economist of the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS), to discuss Jeremy Hunt’s spring 2024 budget statement.
Duration:00:21:05
147: Decarbonising construction machinery
3/6/2024
Bishop & Taylor are joined by L Lynch Plant Hire joint managing director Merrill Lynch to discuss reducing construction’s diesel consumption.
Duration:00:31:46
146: Planning reforms, National Highways probe and Nuclear safety breaches
2/21/2024
Bishop & Taylor explore the disconnect between attempts to remove red tape for house-builders while simultaneously burdening them with ever-greater levels of bureacracy. They also discuss news from a couple of regulatory authorities: the Office of Rail & Road is investigating the deteriorating performance of National Highways; and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is on EDF’s case after a series of safety failings at its power plants.
Duration:00:44:31
145: Anglia Square, Prefab woes and Measuring carbon
2/7/2024
In this episode, Bishop & Taylor hear from Bob Weston about why he had to scrap his £300m Anglia Square development in Norwich. They also discuss a House of Lords report that damns government’s lack of strategy for prefab housing. And they ask whether carbon measuring rules need to be dictated by government, as proposed by a coalition of industry institutions. Finally, they pay tribute to Jim Stockoll, founder of Dyno-Rod and daddy of UK franchising.
Duration:00:49:23
144: The Rudi Klein Manifesto
1/24/2024
Bishop & Taylor are re-joined by Rudi Klein, perhaps the construction industry’s most seasoned campaigner for change. He shares his opinions on the need for industry reform and encourages listeners to take the opportunity of this year’s general election to lobby their local candidates.
Duration:00:48:10
143: Milne down, Neurodivergence and Rebranding Artex
1/10/2024
Bishop & Taylor kick off 2024 mourning the demise of Stewart Milne Group. They also consider the apparent preponderence of neurodiversity within construction project management and discuss the rebranding of Artex.
Duration:00:41:44
142: Review of the Year 2023
12/13/2023
As the end of the year approaches, Bishop & Taylor look back on some of the highs and lows on which they reported in 2023.
Duration:01:10:59
141: Paying the bills, Grenfell’s standing and State aid
11/29/2023
Bishop & Taylor chew over the autumn statement and late paying clients, discuss why Grenfell Tower still stands, and question whether state aid should go to a company owned by Persimmon and Goldman Sachs.
Duration:00:59:16
140: Reshuffle, Plant Tech and Hybrid Working
11/15/2023
Bishop & Taylor discuss the latest goings on at Westminster, new applications of digital technology in construction machinery and the revelation that working from home has added a year of delays to HS2 design work.
Duration:00:56:58
139: Circularity, Piling and Companies On the Edge
11/1/2023
Bishop & Taylor discuss Mace’s proposals to move London construction from mere recycling to the more virtuous state of circularity. They also chat about likely motives for the sale of piling specialist Rock & Alluvium. They conclude with a report that reckons a fifth of UK construction companies are in significant financial distress, and worry how many will survive.
Duration:00:46:41
138: Starmer’s Promises, Infra Planning and Dodgy Ladders (again)
10/18/2023
Bishop & Taylor mull over Labour Party leader Keir Starmer’s promise to get Britain building again and the National Infrastructure Commission’s blueprint that might help him. They also return to the topic of dodgy ladders, with new research form the Ladder Association.
Duration:01:01:02
137: Sunak Hits Reverse
10/4/2023
Bishop & Taylor discuss the cancellation of HS2’s northern section and the prime minister’s policy reversals on net zero targets.
Duration:00:52:58
136: Killing Diesel with Jo Gilroy
9/20/2023
Bishop & Taylor are joined by Balfour Beatty sustainability director Jo Gilroy for a chat about decarbonising construction machinery and the promise of hydrogen.
Duration:00:52:49
135: RAAC, Nutrient Neutrality and Power Tools
9/6/2023
Bishop & Taylor return to the familiar topics of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) and nutrient neutrality, both in the news. Fears of RAAC panels collapsing has prompted the closure of more than 100 school buildings and now more and more building owners are following suit. Rules that prevent houses being built where excessive nutrient run-off might pollute waterways are to be swept away, the government has decided. The final topic in this episode is the increasing obsolescence of power tools with plugs and cables.
Duration:00:58:00
134: Top 100, Controlling the Press & Barbie
8/23/2023
After a whinge about companies trying to interfere with their journalistic integrity, Bishop & Taylor get onto the real business of this episode – the 2023 Top 100 ranking of UK construction contractors, as featured in the forthcoming September issue of The Construction Index magazine. They also discuss Sir Robert McAlpine’s version of the Barbie movie.
Duration:00:54:18
133: CE Reprieve, Big Roads and MMC Woes
8/9/2023
Bishop & Taylor discuss the latest tangles over switching from CE to UKCA product certification and the Transport Select Committee report on road-building. They also discuss repairs to Brentford’s modular Paragon Estate and latest results from volumetric house-builder TopHat
Duration:00:56:36