Hong Kong contractors ‘hid unsafe scaffolding netting’ as tower fire toll rises to 151

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Costs climb again on Manchester Town Hall project as delays worsen

The cost of restoring Manchester Town Hall has risen by a further £95m, with completion now pushed back to spring 2027. The Grade I-listed project was originally due to finish in summer 2024. Manchester City Council confirmed that the overall budget has increased to £524.8m. This is 59 per cent higher than the initial £330m allocation set when work began. The council said the scheme had been affected by a “unique combination” of pressures. These include a shortage of specialist heritage labour, continued materials and labour cost inflation, and a series of subcontractor collapses. Three unnamed subcontractors working on key packages have entered administration in the past six months. The council said the complexity of the 148-year-old building meant delays to one element of work often caused wider disruption across the programme. Lendlease was appointed as main contractor in 2019. The job is now being delivered under the revived Bovis name after Lendlease’s UK construction arm was sold to Atlas Holdings. Deputy council leader Garry Bridges said the project had “navigated a stream of challenges”. He acknowledged frustration over rising costs but argued that failing to intervene would have risked the building becoming “unusable and obsolete”. The council reported last year that costs had already grown by nearly £100m due to hyperinflation, subcontractor claims and unexpected conservation work, including the presence of nesting falcons. The latest funding increase will need approval from the council’s executive committee on 10 December. The additional money will be met through borrowing. Bridges said the project was now on a “confident path” to completion in 2027 and would be ready for the 150th anniversary of the town hall’s original opening. He added that the restored building would serve the city “for the next 100 years”.

CSCS Alliance appoints new Chair

The CSCS Alliance has confirmed the appointment of Marion Marsland as its new Chair, marking a significant leadership change for the body representing 37 card schemes across construction. Marsland brings more than four decades of experience in the thermal insulation sector. Her background spans contracting, distribution and manufacturing, followed by long-standing trade association leadership at TICA. She is credited with strengthening apprenticeship pathways, enhancing competence frameworks and promoting the role of insulation in safety and energy efficiency. Her appointment comes as Government and industry increase their focus on skills through the Construction Skills Mission Board, set up by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) to drive the recruitment of an additional 100,000 workers per year by the end of this Parliament. Speaking on her appointment, Marsland said the Alliance will place greater emphasis on the data held across more than two million cardholders. She said this insight will support industry bodies and Government in targeting training resources more effectively. She added that combining these datasets with CSCS Smart Check, the Alliance’s card-checking system, reinforces its position as the sector’s single point of contact for carding and competence. Marsland succeeds Jay Parmar, Chief Executive of the Joint Industry Board and a member of the Industry Competence Committee, who served as Chair from 2021. Parmar is recognised for strengthening collaboration between schemes, overseeing the rollout of CSCS Smart Check and sharpening the Alliance’s focus on competence and data. He said it had been “a privilege” to serve in the role and praised the sector’s unified progress in raising standards and improving safety. The Alliance says Marsland will continue work to deepen collaboration across industry, support the national competence agenda and ensure the body remains central to improving skills and safety across the built environment.

ScaffEx26 set for growth as NASC prepares expanded programme

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New Gale Force Bolt introduced to honour industry figure Alan Gale

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Scaffolding under scrutiny after Hong Kong tower blaze kills 128

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Budget 2025: NASC warns of rising costs as new tax increases hit construction firms and housing delivery stalls

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Middlesbrough scaffolder’s steroid addiction left him fighting for life

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Scaffplan recruits former Footprint MD to lead global sales

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SIMIAN marks 20-year milestone in construction safety training

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