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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.
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.
151 Episodes
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Bishop & Taylor are joined by L Lynch Plant Hire joint managing director Merrill Lynch to discuss reducing construction’s diesel consumption.
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.
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.
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.
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.
As the end of the year approaches, Bishop & Taylor look back on some of the highs and lows on which they reported in 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.
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.
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.
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.
Bishop & Taylor discuss the cancellation of HS2’s northern section and the prime minister’s policy reversals on net zero targets.
Bishop & Taylor are joined by Balfour Beatty sustainability director Jo Gilroy for a chat about decarbonising construction machinery and the promise of hydrogen.
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.
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.
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
With industry forecasts this week predicting a 7% fall in construction output, much rests on Michael Gove’s latest raft of intitiatives. Bishop & Taylor chew the fat on this. They also revisit the Inland Homes story on corporate governance and “related party matters”.
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