Restructuring the Construction Leadership Council
On 16 July 2015, Skills Minister at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) Nick Boles MP announced that the CLC would be restructured. Ref Gov.uk.
This followed concerns for the future of the CLC after a main council meeting was cancelled in June 2015 and then a subsequent meeting of the delivery group was also cancelled.
The Construction Leadership Council was established in 2013 to oversee implementation of Construction 2025, a publication which set out the government’s long-term vision for ‘…how industry and Government will work together to put Britain at the forefront of global construction…’. CLC is an industry / government council jointly chaired by the Secretary of State at BIS and an industry representative.
The restructuring of CLC involved reducing the number of members from 30 to just 12. It was suggested that this was done in response to calls from the industry to make the council more effective and business-focussed. The new members are considered to have sufficient seniority and business skills and a wide enough range of perspectives to be able to give effective leadership to the industry.
The new Council will meet with ministers 4 times a year to advise and update them on efforts to drive improved productivity and growth.
Specific work streams will deliver improvements to working practices:
The new Council is intended to build on the work of the government’s Chief Construction Adviser (CCA), a role created in 2008 to support joined-up working between government and industry, and to add expertise to the role of government as construction client. However, since that time, the Government Construction Strategy was developed, Construction 2025 published and the CLC created. The government argued that this had led to a duplication of roles, and as a result, the CCA position was scrapped in November 2015 when the tenure of Peter Hansford ended. Cabinet Office minister Nick Hancock then took over responsibility for the Government Construction Strategy.
The Council’s industry co-chair, David Higgins, said, “I’m delighted the government has responded to calls for a smaller, more business-focused Construction Leadership Council. The new Council of 12, with its business leaders from across the sector, will be best placed to drive the skills, innovation and productivity outcomes to help the industry build on its recent growth.”
However, there was some anger from the industry, with the Construction Products Association (CPA) suggesting the Council would “…no longer represent the whole construction supply chain as it does not have an industry leader from construction product manufacturing or distribution. The decision means one-third of the construction supply chain by value will be absent from the Council’s membership.”
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) said, “The loss of the Chief Construction Adviser role at this crucial time will leave a significant gap in terms of drawing together the skills of the sector. The industry needs to look at how the workstreams announced will be coordinated to avoid silos developing in the new approach. It’s therefore vital that the work of the new Construction Leadership Council is informed by the whole of the industry and the professional services sector has strong representation.”
The Construction Industry Council (CIC) proposed that the construction industry itself might fund the role of Chief Construction Adviser to "...keep this important post which combines both expert advice to ministers and the highest representative of the industry."
NB In September 2015, following concern expressed by the industry that the new structure of the CLC did not give proper representation to the supply chain, the full list of members was announced, and included a representative of the Strategic Forum for Construction and a representative from Saint-Gobain.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Ebenezer Howard: inventor of the garden city. Book review.
The Grenfell Tower fire, eight years on
A time to pause and reflect as Dubai tower block fire reported just before anniversary.
Airtightness Topic Guide BSRIA TG 27/2025
Explaining the basics of airtightness, what it is, why it's important, when it's required and how it's carried out.
Construction contract awards hit lowest point of 2025
Plummeting for second consecutive month, intensifying concerns for housing and infrastructure goals.
Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025
Examining the state of mental health in construction, shedding light on levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
The benefits of engaging with insulation manufacturers
When considering ground floor constructions.
Lighting Industry endorses Blueprint for Electrification
The Lighting Industry Association fully supports the ECA Blueprint as a timely, urgent call to action.
BSRIA Sentinel Clerk of Works Training Case Study
Strengthening expertise to enhance service delivery with integrated cutting-edge industry knowledge.
Impact report from the Supply Chain Sustainability School
Free sustainability skills, training and support delivered to thousands of UK companies to help cut carbon.
The Building Safety Forum at the Installershow 2025
With speakers confirmed for 24 June as part of Building Safety Week.
The UK’s largest air pollution campaign.
Future Homes Standard, now includes solar, but what else?
Will the new standard, due to in the Autumn, go far enough in terms of performance ?
BSRIA Briefing: Cleaner Air, Better tomorrow
A look back at issues relating to inside and outside air quality, discussed during the BSRIA briefing in 2023.
Restoring Abbotsford's hothouse
Bringing the writer Walter Scott's garden to life.
Reflections on the spending review with CIAT.
Retired firefighter cycles world to raise Grenfell funds
Leaving on 14 June 2025 Stephen will raise money for youth and schools through the Grenfell Foundation.
Key points for construction at a glance with industry reactions.