Coronavirus update for construction: 13 July

After everything the industry has been through over the last few months, and with more uncertainty ahead, the overriding message from the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has been that our sector's long-term resilience depends on working collaboratively. It is therefore extremely disappointing to receive evidence that some companies are reverting to bad habits and squeezing their supply chains, rather than taking the opportunity to revolutionise the way in which construction projects are delivered.

The CLC statement on payment and contracts, supported by Build UK, reminds everyone that actions at this time will be remembered and that all firms should think hard about how their reputation could be damaged by not doing the right thing. Every business, large and small, has a critical role to play in making sure that cash continues to flow throughout the industry.

To help relieve pressure on businesses while they adapt to different ways of working during coronavirus, there have been further temporary changes to legislation and other requirements including:

• Extending deadlines for filing records at Companies House, including accounts confirmation statements and other company events, such as a change to a company’s directors. Guidance is available for all companies, with additional information for public companies
• Enabling companies to submit Companies House forms via an online service
• Easements for Annual General Meetings (AGMs)
• Additional time to develop a rescue or restructuring plan to avoid insolvency
• A fast-track consent process to apply for extended working hours
• Extending deadlines for certain planning permissions
• Extending the temporary removal of VAT on PPE until 31 October 2020.

To meet environmental targets, the construction sector will no longer be entitled to use red diesel to fuel plant and equipment on sites from April 2022. Further consultation is now underway on how the changes will be implemented and their expected impact, which does offer the industry the opportunity to present exceptional reasons why it should be allowed to continue to use red diesel beyond this date.

Construction companies can now register their interest for the industry’s new Talent Retention Scheme ahead of its launch later this month. Developed by the CLC in partnership with government, the free to use scheme will match workers at risk of redundancy with businesses seeking new staff.

The Construction Innovation Hub is hosting a webinar on Thursday 16 July from 1:00pm – 2:00pm to discuss its new Value Toolkit, which has been developed to help companies measure value, embedding it in their business models to avoid cost minimisation and risk transfer and deliver better outcomes. You can register your place online.

Businesses should continue to follow the most up-to-date government guidance and for the latest updates please follow Build UK on Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any construction-specific queries or feedback on what is happening within the industry, please contact Build UK.