Daily briefing
National Construction News briefing: Thursday 29 October 2026
15 stories from the last 24 hours, three dates for the week ahead, new figures from our data trackers and five closing dates from our recent stories.
Stories from the last 24 hours
ACE backs Budget devolution push but calls for funded pipeline and long-term mayoral settlements
The consultancy and engineering trade body welcomed fiscal devolution and energy measures in the 28 October Budget, but said commitments must survive the next fiscal event and mayors need capacity to design schemes properly.
Liverpool Street's only passenger lift to close for refurbishment from 22 November
Network Rail will overhaul the hydraulics, controls and shaft of the mainline station's single passenger lift, with step-free passengers diverted via Broadgate or Stratford until mid-February 2027.
FMB warns 3.9% minimum wage rise risks squeezing small builders after Budget
The Federation of Master Builders says the Budget's wage increase to £13.21 an hour from April 2027 will be hard for small firms on tight margins to absorb without more government support.
Warm Homes Loan Scheme opens with ten lenders and MCS installer requirement
Government-backed zero- and low-interest loans of up to £35,000 are now available for heat pumps, solar, batteries and heat network connections, with most work restricted to MCS-certified installers, CIBSE has reported.
Budget 2026 confirms golden brick VAT zero rate and 1.5ha brownfield BNG exemption
The Chancellor's Budget on 28 October brought a VAT zero rate on land sold to registered providers, a smaller BNG exemption than consulted on, £1.5bn more for affordable homes and funding for Your First Home.
Lignacite gains PAS 2080 carbon management certification for Suffolk and Essex plants
The concrete block manufacturer said it passed both audit stages with no non-conformities and will now face annual checks under a three-year cycle, with an upgraded ECO block due in November.
RIBA presses Budget case for city architects as Chancellor adds £1.5bn to social housing programme
The Royal Institute of British Architects has welcomed a further £1.5bn for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme and used its Budget response to renew its call for publicly funded city architects.
CECA tells ministers Budget pipeline pledge must come with procurement dates, not totals
Civils contractors have welcomed the Budget's £20.4bn for the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank and an updated Infrastructure Pipeline, but want funded, procurable schemes with project-level detail.
NFB says Budget 2026 recognises builders' burdens but offers little direct relief
The National Federation of Builders has welcomed the Budget's recognition of grid, Building Regulations and biodiversity burdens, but said it raises business costs while confirming £1.5bn for affordable homes and a brownfield BNG exemption.
HPA UK says Budget heat pump VAT rise and BUS freeze erode sector confidence
The heat pump trade body said the Autumn Budget's 5% VAT rate from April 2027 and a freeze on Boiler Upgrade Scheme spending risk a market hiatus, while welcoming moves on electricity costs.
Hire association welcomes 50% first-year allowance in Budget but flags employment costs
Hire Association Europe said it had lobbied the Treasury for the rise in the first-year allowance from 40% to 50%, but saw no measures in the Budget to cut the cost of employing people.
HBF welcomes £4.7bn Your First Home equity loans as OBR cuts housing supply forecast
The Home Builders Federation has welcomed the Budget's first-time buyer equity loan scheme while pointing to an OBR forecast of 190,000 fewer net additions to 2030/31 than it expected in March.
CRASH 30th anniversary golf day in Essex raises more than £15,400
Seventeen teams of Corporate Patrons and supporters played 18 holes at Stock Brook Manor Golf Club in Billericay for the construction industry charity, with Keltbray as headline sponsor.
Refurbishment dominates regional office starts as new build stalls, Cushman & Wakefield says
All four office schemes to start on site across the Big Five and South East in the third quarter were comprehensive refurbishments, with about 60% of the 2.8 million sq ft speculative pipeline following the same route.
SAS International takes FIS sustainability award for Recover ceiling tile take-back scheme
The metal ceilings manufacturer won the Sustainable Innovation category at the FIS Innovation Awards 2026 for a scheme that remanufactures end-of-life tiles at its Bridgend factory and resells them recertified and rewarranted.
This week
Digital Construction Awards
Entries close on Friday 30 October.
Building Awards
Takes place on Tuesday 3 November.
RIA Annual Conference
Starts on Wednesday 4 November.
New figures
Construction tenders closing: 30 October to 12 November 2026
- Open tenders closing
- 133
- Estimated value
- £605.8 million
- Buyers
- 114
Closing soon
Largest construction works tenders closing 16 to 29 October 2026
It is an open procedure with a tender deadline of 30 October 2026 at 12:00.
Nominations for Trainer of the Year close on Friday 30 October 2026.
NOCN Group has opened a new round of its Foundation's Skills Innovation Grant programme, offering grants of £500 to £15,000 for pilot training projects, with applications closing on 15 December and a webinar for applicants on 3 November.
Public-sector buyers have 139 construction works tenders closing on Find a Tender between 23 October and 5 November 2026, with the buyers' own estimates for single contracts adding up to £676.1 million.
About this briefing
Published on weekday mornings. Every item comes from a story National Construction News has already published and checked against its sources, from dates organisers have published, or from our data trackers. See the events and awards calendar, or get the week's stories by email with the weekly newsletter.