Full report here: t.co/De4lkMx1T1

6. Darren Jones’ commitment today to publish a 10 yr infra strategy in Spring important, as will be a clear commitment to greater investment at Budget. If major projects are to be delivered by 2030, govt will also need to develop a plan to build construction sector capacity

5. NIC call out planning system - since 2010, time taken to get planning consent for major projects has doubled from 2 to 4 years. They say greater clarity is needed on what standard projects should do to mitigate environmental impacts, as current risk-averse approach is costly

4. And with little evidence of a long-term plan for public investment, the construction sector has reduced its headcount – down 340,000 workers since 2019 (13% of its workforce).

3. As a result, we face much higher costs for the same projects than our international peers. For instance, it has cost Germany – which has a steady programme of rail electrification – 30-60% less than the UK for every KM of track electrified.

2. NIC calls out last govt’s plans to cut investment over next decade as *a signal to industry of a lack of long-term plan*. 📈They say govt needs a long-term pipeline with clear priorities to unlock investment and enable construction sector to build capacity.

🏗️Excellent report from NIC on why it’s become so costly to build infrastructure in the UK. 1. Key reason: a lack of strategic direction. They show the UK has the most volatile public investment levels across the G7 – which has reduced the supply chain’s confidence to invest.

I've done a second starter pack of people and now some organisations with an interest in housing and related fields who are active on Bluesky. If I've missed anyone off do let me know go.bsky.app/DcN5A3g

The housing crisis in numbers. (From The Sunday Times today: www.thetimes.com/life-style/p...)

6. Says Mission Control needs more data from industry to understand delivery and supply chain risks & work out what solutions needed (including on critical minerals)