Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Skills to Pay the £10bn Bill | Episode 94
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Skills to Pay the £10bn Bill | Episode 94
Construction Disrupted Episode 94 - Skills to Pay the £10bn Bill (03.12.25)
From groundbreaking safety achievements to transformative urban projects and workforce challenges, here are the top three headlines this week:
BSR Sees Record Gateway 2 Determinations to November 2025
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has achieved record-breaking progress in processing Gateway 2 applications for high-rise residential buildings. By November 24, 2025, a total of 272 decisions were made, with 578 decisions made since August.
London accounted for 76% of October's decisions, highlighting the city's focus on safety improvements. Operational changes, including a batching process and the establishment of an Innovation Unit, have accelerated application assessments and closures. The regulator aims to clear historic cases by the end of December while maintaining safety standards.
Council Clears Way for £10bn Earls Court District
The Earls Court Development Company has received approval for a £10 billion redevelopment project in London. The plan will transform a 44-acre site into a 4,000-home innovation district, featuring cultural venues, parks, and workspace for climate-innovation firms.
The project promises to inject £3 billion annually into the UK economy and create 23,500 jobs. Phase one, including 1,300 homes and public spaces, is set to begin next year, with full completion targeted for 2041. This milestone marks a significant step in revitalising one of London's largest cleared development sites.
Construction Employment Hits Lowest Proportion in 100 Years
A report by the Centre for Social Justice reveals that construction employment in the UK has reached its lowest proportion of the workforce in over a century. Latest government figures show the construction workforce fell 1.3% in the third quarter to 2.05 million, marking a 15% collapse in capacity.
This decline poses a significant threat to the government's target of building 1.5 million homes. The shortage of workers highlights the urgent need for strategies to attract and retain talent in the construction sector to meet housing demands and sustain industry growth.
(CSJ - Skills to Build)
Bios
Ryan Jones - SLG Agency
For almost 20 years, Ryan’s focus has been on helping brands in the construction and manufacturing sectors tell their story.
His career began in PR, working for global businesses across a variety of sectors, before opting to focus on construction and the built environment.
In his role as Managing Director, Ryan works to ensure that SLG Agency continues to be one of the construction industry's leading specialist strategic and creative agencies, having seen its work recognised by the likes of Campaign, Marketing Week and The Drum in recent years.
Ryan is regularly asked to speak at trade shows and events, and to contribute thought leadership pieces to trade media. He is also a member of several industry advisory boards, including Constructing Excellence and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
His passion for the construction sector has seen him work with clients on CSR campaigns that tackle the sector’s public perception, culminating in him recently launching a not-for-profit called Deconstruction.
Peter Sumpton - buildDifferent
Peter is a construction–marketing strategist and co-host of Construction Disrupted. With two decades’ experience spanning manufacturers, contractors and agencies, he helps organisations swap scattergun activity for clear strategy, joined-up planning and measurable outcomes.
His approach is practical and plain-spoken: cut the noise, focus on what moves the numbers, and build repeatable systems that teams can actually use.
Having seen first-hand how unfocused tactics waste time and budget, Peter works with leaders to align commercial goals, customer insight and content so marketing supports delivery rather than distracting from it.
Peter's passion lies in diagnosing organisations' marketing functions' capabilities and existing market, assembling what’s required to create a functional strategy, fit for purpose and scalable.
Marketing should create value, not just cost, and Peter’s work is about making that the norm.
View all episodes
By Peter SumptonConstruction Disrupted Episode 94 - Skills to Pay the £10bn Bill (03.12.25)
From groundbreaking safety achievements to transformative urban projects and workforce challenges, here are the top three headlines this week:
BSR Sees Record Gateway 2 Determinations to November 2025
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has achieved record-breaking progress in processing Gateway 2 applications for high-rise residential buildings. By November 24, 2025, a total of 272 decisions were made, with 578 decisions made since August.
London accounted for 76% of October's decisions, highlighting the city's focus on safety improvements. Operational changes, including a batching process and the establishment of an Innovation Unit, have accelerated application assessments and closures. The regulator aims to clear historic cases by the end of December while maintaining safety standards.
Council Clears Way for £10bn Earls Court District
The Earls Court Development Company has received approval for a £10 billion redevelopment project in London. The plan will transform a 44-acre site into a 4,000-home innovation district, featuring cultural venues, parks, and workspace for climate-innovation firms.
The project promises to inject £3 billion annually into the UK economy and create 23,500 jobs. Phase one, including 1,300 homes and public spaces, is set to begin next year, with full completion targeted for 2041. This milestone marks a significant step in revitalising one of London's largest cleared development sites.
Construction Employment Hits Lowest Proportion in 100 Years
A report by the Centre for Social Justice reveals that construction employment in the UK has reached its lowest proportion of the workforce in over a century. Latest government figures show the construction workforce fell 1.3% in the third quarter to 2.05 million, marking a 15% collapse in capacity.
This decline poses a significant threat to the government's target of building 1.5 million homes. The shortage of workers highlights the urgent need for strategies to attract and retain talent in the construction sector to meet housing demands and sustain industry growth.
(CSJ - Skills to Build)
Bios
Ryan Jones - SLG Agency
For almost 20 years, Ryan’s focus has been on helping brands in the construction and manufacturing sectors tell their story.
His career began in PR, working for global businesses across a variety of sectors, before opting to focus on construction and the built environment.
In his role as Managing Director, Ryan works to ensure that SLG Agency continues to be one of the construction industry's leading specialist strategic and creative agencies, having seen its work recognised by the likes of Campaign, Marketing Week and The Drum in recent years.
Ryan is regularly asked to speak at trade shows and events, and to contribute thought leadership pieces to trade media. He is also a member of several industry advisory boards, including Constructing Excellence and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
His passion for the construction sector has seen him work with clients on CSR campaigns that tackle the sector’s public perception, culminating in him recently launching a not-for-profit called Deconstruction.
Peter Sumpton - buildDifferent
Peter is a construction–marketing strategist and co-host of Construction Disrupted. With two decades’ experience spanning manufacturers, contractors and agencies, he helps organisations swap scattergun activity for clear strategy, joined-up planning and measurable outcomes.
His approach is practical and plain-spoken: cut the noise, focus on what moves the numbers, and build repeatable systems that teams can actually use.
Having seen first-hand how unfocused tactics waste time and budget, Peter works with leaders to align commercial goals, customer insight and content so marketing supports delivery rather than distracting from it.
Peter's passion lies in diagnosing organisations' marketing functions' capabilities and existing market, assembling what’s required to create a functional strategy, fit for purpose and scalable.
Marketing should create value, not just cost, and Peter’s work is about making that the norm.