174 | OBR, NISTA and Timber
2nd April 2025
Bishop & Taylor discuss some of the talking points from chancellor Rachel Reeves’ recent spring statement, the formation of new government bodies, and the rise of pine.
Re:Construction
A fortnightly podcast in which veteran construction industry journalists Bishop and Taylor have a natter about some of the week’s events in the UK construction industry, seeking meaning even where none may exist.
173 | Cutting bureaucracy, Cement sector challenges and Leaving school
19th March 2025
Bishop & Taylor discuss government’s efforts to reduce regulatory hurdles, the challenges facing the UK cement sector and a proposal to lower the school leaving age to 14 in Scotland
172 | Beyond Grenfell
5th March 2025
Bishop & Taylor discuss the government’s response to the Grenfell Inquiry’s final report and juxtapose this with the forgotten Cole Report report into a primary school wall collapse.
171 | Batteries, BNG and Buying British
19th February 2025
In this episode, Bishop & Taylor discuss exploding batteries, how the one-year-old biodiversity net gain (BNG) rules are bedding in, and a call from steel companies for clients to buy British
170 | Reeves’ Big Speech and Goodbye SGB
5th February 2025
In a landmark speech last week, chancellor of the exchequer Rachel Reeves voiced support for Heathrow’s long-range third runway plan but may have killed the shovel-ready Lower Thames Crossing. Bishop & Taylor chew it over. They also mourn the demise of the SGB brand (Scaffolding Great Britain, as was).
169 | Solar panels, Licensing and Plant hire pivoting
22nd January 2025
In this episide Bishop & Taylor discuss a thwarted attempt to make solar panels compulsory on all new houses, RIBA’s support a contractor licensing scheme and the latest examples of companies having a rethink about their plant operations.
168 | Happy new year (we hope)
8th January 2025
Bishop & Taylor share their expectations for the UK construction industry in 2025, including a raft of major government initiatives, from NISTA to new towns.
167 | 2024 Year in Review
11th December 2024
In their last episode of the year, Bishop & Taylor look back on some of the highs and lows of the year: the change in government and what it has brought, the Grenfell Inquiry report, the fall of ISG, the birth of Barratt Redrow, the six-thousand-tonne crane… and more besides.
166 | Fast-track apprentices, HSE stats and GFRG houses
27th November 2024
Bishop & Taylor discuss plans to for the provision of fast-track construction apprentices, the latest HSE statistics (shouldn’t musculoskeletal disorders be classified as injuries rather than illnesses?), and the small London company with a letter of intent for 10,000 prefab homes.
165 | Revolutionising Construction The Information Management Initiative
13th November 2024
Bishop & Taylor are joined by Paul Wilkinson, vice-chair of Nima, to discuss the Information Management Initiative (IMI) and its significance to the construction industry, particularly in relation to building information modelling (BIM) and technology adoption.
