CPA Weekly Notes – 30th May 2025

Issue No. 1152, 30th May 2025 FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Association Activities

Consultation Nation: How Bureaucracy is Slowing Infrastructure
CPA Economics Director Noble Francis has written a blog on the effects of consultation on the delivery of infrastructure projects. It can be found on the CPA website here.

Watch the recording of Noble Francis present at RIBA: Managing Global Uncertainty  
Noble Francis presented to RIBA earlier this week. He looked into the performance of construction sectors from this year and into the next. A recording of the presentation can be watched here.

Watch the Recording of the CPA Webinar: U.S. Tariff Disruption, Uncertainty, and the CPA Construction Forecasts
U.S. tariff disruption has increased uncertainty and made market forecasting even more difficult than during Covid-19 Pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis. The webinar, hosted by Professor Noble Francis, focuses on the potential impacts for the U.K. economy and construction sector. Watch the recording and download the slides, here.
Weekly Calendar of Meetings

• Peter Caplehorn, CPA Chief Executive, will meet with the Building Safety Minister to discuss Gateway 2 issues impacting CPA members, and will meet with directors at the MHCLG, OPSS and Building Safety Regulator to discuss product issues; will chair a meeting of the CLC Product Standards and Regulatory Alignment Group to discuss BS476 issues; and will attend a meeting of the board of the Considerate Constructors Scheme, of which the CPA is a 50/50 owner.
• Professor Noble Francis, CPA Economics Director, will present to members of the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers about the forecast and impact of tariffs; and will attend the Finishes and Interiors Sector Awards.
• Mark Wilkinson, CPA Senior Technical Manager, will attend a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Building Standards Energy Review Working Group.
• Hanna Clarke, Digital and Policy Manager, will have a variety of meetings with industry colleagues and civil servants around competence.

Economics Update

CPA Weekly UK Economic and Construction Update
The latest weekly update is available here, including:

• Barbour ABI Project Starts on High Rise Residential (2025 Q1)
• ONS Construction Employment and self-employment (2025 Q1)
• HMRC UK Residential Property Transactions (April 2025)

The CPA’s Spring Forecasts were published on Monday, 28th April and are available for members to download from the CPA Website. Also note that the ONS has suspended its monthly UK building materials price data (and other producer price data) due to concerns about its reliability, which the CPA has been highlighting since the impacts of the energy and price spikes in Spring 2022.

CPA Briefing Paper:  The Impacts of U.S. Tariffs
Following strong demand from members and government alike, the CPA’s economics team has published a briefing paper on the ‘Impacts of U.S. Tariffs’.  This document will be revised as the situation develops, and made available to CPA members every Friday with our Weekly UK Economic and Construction Update (see above).  To receive this document via email every Friday please contact noble.francis@constructionproducts.org.uk ; alternatively, you can click here to read it now.

Government Update

Parliament has risen for the Whitsun holiday and will return on 2nd June.

Govt Opens Consultation on Improving Integrity of Voluntary Carbon Markets
Government seeks to clarify and test their proposed policy and governance framework for helping to ensure the integrity of voluntary carbon and nature markets.  Find the consultation here, deadline is 10 July 2025.  For further details contact Jane Thornback.

Govt Opens Consultation on the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
This is a technical consultation running until 3rd July to get feedback on the drafting of the primary legislation of the UK CBAM.  The purpose of a CBAM is to place a carbon price on specified goods imported to the UK from sectors that are at risk of carbon leakage.  The aim being to protect UK manufacturing.  Find details here.  For further details contact Jane Thornback.

Industry News

Industry Competence Committee annual report 2024 to 2025
The report from the ICC committee has now been published and is available here. The publication includes a report on the work of the Industry Competence Steering Group which is chaired by the CPA’s Hanna Clarke. For more information on the work of the Industry Competence Steering Group please contact Hanna – Hanna.Clarke@constructionproducts.org.uk.

BDO’s Building Products & Services webinar (12^th June, 10:00 – 11:00)
Hosted by M&A Partner John Stephan, the team will share key insights from the latest publication and discuss the trends of the moment with panellists.
BDO experts will discuss M&A trends in the Building Products & Services sector, the industry themes driving activity, views on valuations in the sector and predictions for the coming year.
Panellists include industry experts Prof. Noble Francis, Economics Director at the Construction Products Association and Joshua Owolabi from GK Strategy, who will provide a briefing on the economic and political environment, and lead in the panel discussion on major market themes. The update will be followed by a live Q&A session. You can register for the webinar here.

2050 Connected Conference (1-2 July, London)
BEAMA (British Electrotechnical and Allied Manufacturers’ Association) and the Lighting Industry Association are offering CPA members free places at an exclusive industry event that brings together manufacturers, suppliers, and sustainability leaders to accelerate industrial decarbonisation across the supply chain. This is an opportunity to engage directly with peers and partners on critical topics such as embodied carbon measurement, Scope 3 emissions reporting, and supplier collaboration strategies. Through expert-led discussions and interactive sessions, you’ll gain practical insights into measuring and reducing emissions, aligning net-zero strategies with Scope 3 targets, and engaging stakeholders to drive meaningful change.  This event offers a platform to network, share best practices, and inform your net-zero transition planning. For more information click here and to register your place please click here.

The Installer Show (24-26 June 2025)
The CPA and many of our members are supporting The Installer Show at the NEC Birmingham from 24-26 June, and we encourage others to attend.  The Installer Show has gone from strength to strength over the past years and is highly recommended for its industry representation and engagement as well as a topical speaking agenda. To register, click here.

BRE rebrands the Home Quality Mark to BREEAM Residential
BRE has streamlined its offerings and the Home Quality Mark (HMQ) is now rebranded and BRE has released it as residential sustainability assessment, BREEAM UK New Construction: Residential V6.1.  Find details here.  For further details contact Jane Thornback.

CPA in the News

Merchant Q1 Sales Up Year-on-Year
The Construction Products Association reported a mixed start to the year with 15% of heavy side manufacturers reporting quarter-on-quarter decreases for Q1, while 55% light side manufacturers said sales increased – the strongest result since Q3,19. Despite the disparity in fortunes, manufacturers remain optimistic about the year ahead.
Roofing Today | 29/05/2025 | Online

Has the government sold out on construction products regulation?
Mark Wilkinson, senior technical adviser at the Construction Products Association (CPA)… says the trade body’s members have been largely pleased with the green paper’s proposals as a “short-term solution” which avoids the “horrendous” cost implications of switching to UKCA… he believes it may not be a final decision and that it has been made at this stage in order to give the government a “bit of extra time”. “It’s almost as if the government are saying, ‘look, we don’t know all the answers. Industry potentially do, because they’re the experts. Can you help us to provide a solution that works?”
Building | 13/05/2025 | Online

The Unanswered Questions over Donald Trump’s Trade Deal with Britain
Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association, said it was also unclear whether the deal covered steel used in derivative products such as vehicle parts, industrial components and household goods that were initially included in Trump’s announcement of the 25 per cent steel tariffs in March.  “It is critical that firms get clarity on this as soon as possible as it could have a major impact on their exports to the US,” he added.
FT.com | 09/05/2025 | Online

Mixed opener to 2025 for construction product manufacturing, reports CPA
The results of the Construction Products Association’s State of Trade Survey for the first quarter of 2025 showed it was a mixed quarter for construction product manufacturers’ sales performance. Encouragingly, forward-looking indicators point to expectations of growth returning over the next 12 months as the construction recovery accelerates.
Building Merchants News | 12/05/2025 | Online

UK adds just 65 miles of motorway in 10 years
Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association, said: “Anyone who travels on the roads in the UK knows that we need improvements in both the quality of existing roads and new, additional roads to make travelling easier and quicker.”
FT | 04/05/2025 | Online
also in WDCTV.News, TransLogistics, ExBulletin, GB News (Online), Birmingham Live,