Construction Minister tells NFB that infrastructure will be crucial to economic recovery ​

Addressing members attending the National Federation of Builders Large Contractors Forum, the Construction Minister Nadhim Zahawi said that he was looking to bring forward infrastructure projects to support the construction sector’s economic recovery, after the COVID-19 crisis.

After speaking of the Government’s recent announcement to proceed with HS2, the Minister said:

“I’m talking to other departments to see what projects we can accelerate or bring forward because in terms of incentivising growth, infrastructure is going to be important and the Government’s commitment to infrastructure is going to be important”.

Responding to questions from contractors, the Minister also explained that the Government was keeping its options open when it came to dealing with the fall-out from the crisis, such as potential contractual disputes:

“We will keep under review all the interventions to make sure that as we move to a different profile of how businesses operate, as we come through this crisis, that we are able to respond in a way that can help businesses”.

The Large Contractors Forum took place on 22 April 2020 and saw the largest contracting members of the NFB attend an online conference and discussion. The conference heard from a range of policy professionals and speakers on sector qualifications, training and skills, best practice and building for the future.

Commenting on the LCF, Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the NFB said:

“The forum was a great opportunity for our members to put their very real concerns to the people who make decisions for the future of our industry, at what is perhaps the most critical juncture in our sector’s history. The Minister’s words came as necessary reassurance that Government is planning for recovery and we stand ready to assist wherever we can”.

The Large Contractors Forum was kindly sponsored by B&CE , CITB, City and Guilds, Considerate Constructors and OpenECX.

Members of the NFB can watch the full webinar in the members’ area of the website.

National Federation of Builders

The National Federation of Builders is a United Kingdom trade association representing the interests of small and medium-sized building contractors in England and Wales.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

UK monthly property transactions for May 2025

Headline statistics from the latest transactions data include: the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in May 2025 is 81,470, 12% lower than May 2024 and 25% higher than April 2025 the provisional non-seasonally adjusted estimate of the number of UK residential transactions in May 2025 is 80,530, 13% lower than May 2024 and…
Read More
Breaking News

Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) shows the Government has a plan

The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) held its first board meeting today (26 June 2025), where it set out a roadmap for recruiting 100,000 more construction workers a year by the end of Parliament. Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “The Construction Skills Mission Board (CSMB) is a recognition…
Read More
Paint Stripper Tools
Estate Agent Talk

5 Strategies to Optimise Your Warehouse for Real Estate

The term fixer-upper can mean many things, from ‘slap some paint on the walls and it looks brand new’ to ‘will this building collapse if we open the front door?’ Indeed, in the dicey world of commercial property acquisition, each warehouse you buy will probably fall into both camps. Thinking about the viability of warehouses…
Read More
Breaking News

HMOs sell for up to 50% above market average

New research from Excellion Capital, the boutique debt advisory and investment firm, reveals that HMOs sell for as much as 50% above the average house price, further increasing their investment potential after it was revealed that HMOs also create rental yields of up to 12.5%. After previous research from Excellion Capital recently showed that the…
Read More
Breaking News

UK buyers struggle while 50,000 homes sit empty

As the UK housing crisis deepens, new analysis by Open Property Group exposes a worrying surge in so-called “zombie homes”- properties that sit unoccupied and deteriorating while millions struggle to access affordable housing. Key insights: 50,000+ long-term vacant homes in England alone 23,000+ of these have been empty for more than two years Estimated £13.6…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 26/06/25

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   The UK is Europe’s second most distressed market despite headline GDP growth Retail and Consumers Goods has emerged as the most distressed sector in Europe, with distress levels now the highest since the global financial crisis, according to the latest Weil European Distress Index (WEDI). The…
Read More