Not all bad news

Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell weighs up negative reports with positive new stories.

There is a lot of uncertainty regarding the possible effects of Brexit. It hardly needs me to say it – there seems to be little other news at the moment. Yet, it is still worth highlighting the fears that some in the construction have.

This week, the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) report (which sets out a series of recommendations for the new immigration policy post-Brexit) was published. As it covered one of the more contentious subjects leaving up to the referendum in 2016, the response to the report was always going to emotionally charged. And you can see what the FMB thought here.

Thankfully, not all news is bad news, and as I write this the government has announced £2 billion in new funding for housing associations to build tens of thousands of new affordable and social homes.

“Under the scheme, associations will be able to apply for funding stretching as far ahead as 2028/29 – the first time any government has offered housing associations such long-term certainty,” the prime minister is expected to tell the National Housing Federation Summit today.

“Rather than simply acquiring a proportion of the properties commercial developers build, I want to see housing associations taking on and leading major developments themselves.” Housing associations are beneficial for our industry, because they tend to specify the very best products in a bid to provide long-term performance and minimal maintenance.

Therefore, I’m sure this news will be welcomed.

As will news from Insight Data that £1 billion in new funding from a partnership between Barclays, Housing England and the Ministry of Housing has been announced.

With UK Construction Week and Glasstec both taking place in October, it will be interesting to see if stories like these will be translated into optimism on exhibitors’ stands.