This Week's News

Inflation resumes downward trend

Inflation has resumed its downward trend after a brief blip in April.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics shows the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) fell to 1.5% in the year to May 2014, down from 1.8% in April.

Falls in transport services costs, notably air fares, provided the largest contribution to the rate decrease. Other large downward effects came from the food & non-alcoholic drinks and clothing sectors.

The largest offsetting upward effects came from increases in the cost of motor fuels and recreation & culture.

The ONS said the timing of Easter in April was likely to have had an impact on movements in the index, most notably for air and sea fares.

Revised UK construction data point to faster first quarter GDP growth

British construction output grew faster than previously thought in the first three months of the year, official data showed on Friday, suggesting overall economic growth for the first quarter will be revised higher.

The Office for National Statistics said construction output expanded 1.5 percent between January and March, up from a previous estimate of 0.6 percent, though construction orders pointed to a less strong second quarter.

The ONS said the data revision would add 0.1 percentage points to its latest estimate of first quarter gross domestic product, and was due to an unusually large number of late data returns from construction firms that gave a different picture to initial figures.
 
Britain's economy expanded 0.8 percent in the first quarter of this year, keeping up last year's strong growth momentum. The construction sector has been a major driver, recovering along with the housing market.

But while the government is keen to enable more building, it is concerned that house prices and household debt may get out of control.

British finance minister George Osborne said on Thursday that he would give the Bank of England stronger powers to curb mortgage lending, namely by enabling the central bank to stop Britons taking out mortgages that are too big compared with their income or the value of their home.

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Yes Glazing Cry Tears Of Joy

Paul Casbolt and Karl Kinsey of Yes Glazing Solutions celebrated well into the night at this year’s FIT Show Gala Dinner after they were declared winners of the Master Fitter Challenge, in association with Fensa.

Walking away with a cash prize of £5,000, both Paul and Karl proved that they were indeed masters of their craft. Being recognised by their peers as the best of the best as far as the chosen finalists go obviously meant a lot to the boys from Yes Glazing as when they were announced as the competition winners, following some jubilant hugs, tears of joy were evident as they took to the stage to collect their award and cheque.

Runners-up were Steve Price and Terry Griffin of Conwy Windows who took home a cheque for £3,000 while last year’s winner, Arron Clegg of Eco-Sash, along with his father Andy placed third taking away £2,000 for their efforts.

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£4M Boost For Management Skills R&D

Construction businesses across the UK are being offered co-investment to help develop new ways of boosting management skills in their sector, it was announced today.
 
A total of £4 million is available through the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), as part of an ongoing government-backed programme to encourage employer-led solutions to persistent skills problems.
 
Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director of BAE Systems and a Commissioner at UKCES, explained:
 
“Our research shows that the UK lags behind its international competitors when it comes to management skills.  That matters.  It matters even more in the construction sector because it’s such important part of our economy. Good management practices boost productivity, staff engagement and ultimately drive economic growth. And while the UK’s best firms may be world-leading, the sad truth is that, generally, management capability in the UK’s construction firms isn’t as good as many other countries, particularly the US.
 
“But improved management isn’t something that can be imposed on business.  It needs to be led from within.  That’s why we’re making up to £4 million co-investment available to businesses to help them find innovative and effective ways of working with their networks or supply chains to boost management and leadership capability.”

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Chancellor’s ‘planning revolution’ will encourage investment in brownfield

Small house building firms have welcomed moves to increase brownfield development outlined in the Chancellor’s Mansion House speech, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has said.
Chris Carr, Chair of the FMB Home Builders Group, said: “Bringing forward planning applications remains an expensive and risky business for small house builders. Brownfield sites within our towns and cities are likely to be sites of a size and location that is attractive to local builders. However, previously-used sites often come with additional costs and complexities that increase the upfront investment required at a time when finance remains very difficult to come by for small developers.”

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Football Legend Luís Figo Versus AGC Glass

There’s no escaping, football mania is upon us bringing euphoria and despair to fans worldwide. So, for a bit of fun check out this special YouTube video, produced by AGC, featuring football legend Luís Figo failing to break through the defensive wall of AGC Glass.



AGC has supplied the official glass roof for player benches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ and has appointed Luís Figo as the ambassador to promote this unprecedented and exciting project

The glass roof, made from chemically strengthened glass, provides unparalleled visibility, durability and damage resistance. One of the key attributes is clear visibility, and the rear portion of the bench is applied with anti-reflective coating, making its reflective properties thirteen times lower than conventional glass to ensure the best possible visual experience for football fans. Protection for players and staff on the bench is provided by a double layer of chemically strengthened Dragontrail™ X, considered the world’s strongest cover glass for electronic devices.

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