The Great Divide

There is a gulf between what governments say, and what they do. All too often, the demolition and construction sector finds itself trapped in the gap between.

There has always been a divide between the ruling and political classes and real people. And never is that divide more evident than during times of war and conflict.

THEY declare war and drag US into battles they have no intention of fighting themselves. When they say “WE are at war,” what they really mean is that YOU are at war. They’ll be over there, quaffing champagne at the taxpayers’ expense, until it’s time to go on TV and claim “OUR” victory. Prime ministers, presidents, and kings would, I’m sure, be a little less trigger-happy if they were required to pull the trigger themselves.

But that disconnect between them and us does not begin and end with war. Here in the world of demolition and construction, we too are part of the “Royal we”; expected to do the hard work and embrace the danger while someone else takes the credit and the glory.

In the run-up to the last General Election, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pledged to build 1.5 million new homes within five years. He said: “WE will get shovels in the ground. Cranes in the sky.” Unless he’s secretly studying for a CSCS card or earning his crane license between G7 and NATO meetings, what he really meant was that YOU would get shovels in the ground and cranes in the sky.

This isn’t a one-off. At the launch of the new Construction Skills Mission Board, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “WE are working hand-in-hand with industry to recruit thousands more workers into skilled construction jobs.” Are you, Angela? Are you really? Or are you just making a promise that someone else will have to keep?

In truth, that new Construction Skills Mission Board - tasked with magically producing 100,000 new workers out of thin air - is the ultimate proof of the disconnect between government and the construction sector.

Think about it. If you want to work on a government or local authority project, you’re expected to provide evidence that you can not only deliver but deliver on time. You must outline your resources and materials, disclose your insurance, and prove you have the financial capacity to see the job through. You must demonstrate that your workers are trained, competent, and carded, and that your equipment meets the latest environmental standards. Depending on the project, you might even undergo background checks more thorough than a passport application. In other words, you must prove your capability long before you're allowed near the site.

But when the safety boot is on the other foot, there’s no proof, no evidence, no scrutiny. A government minister makes a sweeping declaration on TV and then walks away, expecting 2.5 million demolition and construction workers to turn a soundbite into reality.

Leaving it to the experts is fine; that's why we have them. But surely it would make more sense to consult with those experts before committing them to the impossible?

When Starmer announced his plan to build 1.5 million homes, Labour supporters applauded. Many hoped it would ease the housing crisis. Even the press parroted the pledge.

The reaction in construction circles was very different. Before the ink was dry, industry professionals were already asking: How? The sector has consistently fallen short of annual house-building targets for decades. The UK planning system is a slow-moving clown car driven by the incompetent and the recalcitrant. And that’s before we address the PPE-wearing elephant in the room: we don’t even have enough construction workers to meet current demand, let alone a dramatic influx of new housing projects.

Which brings us back to the Construction Skills Mission Board. We are now nearly a year into Starmer’s prime ministership, and his promise of 1.5 million homes is just as unrealistic today as it was when he first floated it.

Instead of admitting the pledge was campaign fodder - a little white lie to grant him the keys to Number 10 - his party has now promised something else: 100,000 new construction workers. The Construction Industry Training Board, the Construction Leadership Council, and the wider industry have all consistently failed to attract enough people. But sure, maybe an Angela Rayner soundbite will succeed where those with actual experience have failed.

Of course, neither the CLC nor the government has provided practical details on how this new target will be met.

And there’s another PPE-clad pachyderm in the room that no one is talking about.

According to the CITB, the UK construction sector recruits around 200,000 new workers per year; but simultaneously loses 210,000 workers to retirement and disillusionment. Even setting aside the loss of experience, that leaves a net deficit of 10,000 workers every year.

In a report published last year, the CITB said we would need 250,000 additional new workers by 2028; and that was before Starmer’s housing pledge.

Will Starmer lose sleep over this? Will Angela Rayner lie awake at night worrying that her workforce promise won’t materialise? Of course not. Their job is done. They said a thing - a thing we all know to be impossible - and they have already moved on.

Now it’s down to US to make it work.