Industry leaders are concerned about the lack of detail in the government’s plant for a chief construction officer

The government issued a discussion paper earlier this week, but Graham Watts, chief executive of the Construction Industry Council said it failed to answer questions about the seniority of the position. He said: “The document doesn’t clarify the salary level, how the holder will be recruited, and how much authority they’ll have.”

Rudi Klein, the chief executive of the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group, said: “The economic crisis could lead to the position becoming a dustbin for everything related to construction”.