CPA Weekly Notes – 4th July 2025

Issue No. 1158, 4th July 2025 FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Association Activities

CPA Autumn Lunch 2025 – Get on board and sponsor our event
CPA’s lunches are recognised as one of the largest networking events in the industry – so why not get your brand recognised too? We have great sponsorship offerings to get you the best possible coverage, pre and post-event! Click here to view the sponsorship package. If you have any sponsorship related question, please get in touch with Fabi.

CPA Response to the 10 year Industrial Strategy 
Peter Caplehorn, Chief Executive of the Construction Products Association, said: “We welcome the renewed commitment to a long-term industrial strategy. The strategy must not only be ambitious—it must be consistent, clear, and rooted in real engagement with industry. Delivery is everything, and we look forward to working with government to make this vision a reality.” The CPA particularly appreciates the proposed consultation on industrial electricity pricing and plans to increase rebates for eligible manufacturers from 60% to 90%. These measures could significantly improve competitiveness for UK-based producers, provided they are rolled out effectively and equitably across sectors.

CPA Response to the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy
The CPA Economics Director, Professor Noble Francis said “We welcome the 10-year infrastructure strategy and the government’s ambitions for the UK’s critical infrastructure needs over the next decade, with its intention to attract private investment in a more sustainable and realistic way than previous PFI schemes. However, in order for this strategy to be useful for the construction supply chain and help make the case at board level for major investments in skills, capacity and more efficient methods to deliver the ambitious infrastructure work within the Strategy, industry will need to know when these projects will realistically start and how long they are expected to take. This essential information will hopefully be included in the government’s infrastructure pipeline, which is scheduled for publication next month.”

Weekly Calendar of Meetings

• Peter Caplehorn, CPA Chief Executive, will meet with directors at the MHCLG, OPSS and Building Safety Regulator to discuss product issues; will discuss the implementation of the Future Homes Standard at a meeting hosted by the Future Homes Hub (the CPA sits on the FHH board); attend a roundtable about “Competency in Building Safety Regulation”; will chair a meeting of the Construction Leadership Council’s Standards & Regulatory Alignment Group; and will attend the regular weekly meeting of the CLC Task Force.
• Jane Thornback, CPA Sustainability Policy Advisor, will join the first workshop of the ESBEM (Emergent Sustainable Built Environment Materials) Innovation Network, supported by Innovate UK and UKRI.
• Hanna Clarke, Digital and Policy Manager, will have a variety of meetings with industry colleagues and civil servants around competence.
• Rob Lee, CPA Senior External Affairs Manager will be attending a Liberal Democrat Round Table on Housing.

Economics Update

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

• S&P Global UK Construction PMI (June 2025)
• DBT UK Brick Deliveries (May 2025)

The CPA’s Spring forecasts were published on Monday, 28 April, and are available for members to download from the CPA Website. The CPA’s Summer forecasts will be published on Monday, 28 July.
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.atively, you can click here to read it now.

Government Update

MHCLG have released further details on the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme this week. 
The Government has published a long-term plan ‘Delivering a Decade of Renewal for Social and Affordable Housing’ this week, including:

• The government is setting an ambition to deliver around 300,000 new social and affordable homes, through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme announced at the Spending Review.
  • Through this, the Government are setting a target that at least 60 percent of homes will be for social rent which is linked to local incomes – achieving this would mean delivering around 180,000 homes for social rent. That is six times more than the decade up to 2024.  
• A long-term plan – Delivering a Decade of Renewal for Social and Affordable Housing – is being published to set out how the Government will deliver the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation, alongside driving up the safety and quality of homes.
  • Living standards for social housing tenants will also be driven up under new plans to update and modernise the Decent Homes Standard, which will be extended to privately rented homes for the first time, and Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards will be implemented for the first time in the social housing sector. 
  • Further measures set out in the plan will include changes to Right to Buy and other measures to protect council housing stock, unlocking investment in new and existing social housing, and increasing overall standards alongside a “rallying call for the sector to step up and deliver”. 
• The Government is also publishing a consultation on how to implement a convergence measure, with options for this being capped at £1 or £2 per week– with a final decision to follow at this year’s Autumn Budget.    

Government’s Industrial Strategy
The Government has published its Industrial Strategy white paper. Construction products are well represented and are listed as a ‘foundation sector’. The headlines are as follows:

• The Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan has been published. Construction manufacturing listed as a ‘Foundation Sector’.
• Priority sectors within the AMP are advanced materials (where construction product manufacturers should be interested), auto, aero, agri-tech, space and batteries.
• The £3bn investment announcement for Advanced Manufacturing is linked to the AMP.
• DBT says there is good news in the plan re skills and they have been negotiating with DfE for funding for engineering skills training.

The CPA have responded. Our press release can be read here. For further information please contact rob.lee@constructionproducts.org.uk.

House of Lords call for Evidence on the Building Safety Regulator
The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee, chaired by Baroness Taylor of Bolton, has launched an inquiry into building safety regulation, with a particular focus on the work of the Building Safety Regulator, which was established following the Building Safety Act 2022. Concerns have been raised by Industry that delays in approvals by the BSR have slowed down the delivery of new buildings and homes. The Committee invites interested individuals and organisations to submit evidence here by 31 August 2025.

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 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

Electrical Distributors Association – Talking Shop Live Online: Industry Insight in 90 Minutes. 
The online event takes place 8th August at 11:00. Please register here to register. The meeting brings together EDA Board Members, Wholesaler Buying Group Heads, and Senior Executives from Wholesaler, Manufacturer, and Solution/Service Provider businesses for a sector specific exchange of information and views.
In this session we’ll be joined by Accountant and Business Consultant, Peter Hill. He will be delivering a short session on Protecting your business: credit checks and other risk mitigation. In addition there will be discussion on:

• Wholesaler and Manufacturer insights from the latest EDA State of the Sector Survey
• ​​​​Latest EDA news and information​​​​

Survey re Industrial Strategy Reactions
The CPA is a member of Make UK, the umbrella trade organisation representing all UK manufacturing, and following this week’s Government announcement about the new Industrial Strategy, Make UK is running a flash survey to gather initial reactions. It’s short at only 8 questions and very high-level and can be answered in a matter of minutes.
This survey is an important piece for both ourselves and for feedback to Government. In the first instance, this is naturally one of the largest policy wins our industry has seen in recent times so it’s important to measure how sentiment reflects this, and secondly, some of the most important announcements are due to be meted out consultatively with Government over the coming months, therefore member feedback is critical.
Please help the industry bring back to Government the much-needed feedback following these announcements, as Make UK and the CPA continue to shape the impact of the Industrial Strategy in the coming weeks and months. Our sector’s feedback now will shape how beneficial these interventions will be, for example, how much energy cost support the sector ultimately receives.
Take the survey here: Industrial Strategy 2025 – Manufacturers’ initial reactions Survey
For more detail about the announcement, and to see Make UK’s initial comments, see here : Government launches Industrial Strategy: Make UK’s reaction | Make UK

Former CRASH CEO Awarded OBE
CPA members have generously supported CRASH at our annual Autumn Lunches for over two decades and will appreciate learning that Francesca Roberts, the former chief executive of construction charity CRASH, received the Honour of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours List 2025, announced on Saturday 14 June.  Francesca was responsible for leading CRASH from 2007 until her retirement in May 2024, and received the Honour for her dedicated services to Homelessness and Hospices.

BSI Invitation to Join CB/3 Committee
The British Standards Institution is an Associate of the CPA and would like to extend an invitation across our membership for any persons interested in joining its BSI CB/3 committee.  CB/3 is responsible for reviewing market demands and regulatory drivers for the safe, compliant, and efficient use of construction products. The committee examines the interaction between the Building Safety Act, UK Construction Products Regulations, and EU Construction Products Regulation, seeking alignment with safety standards to enable the free movement of construction products within the EU single market.  Horizontal functions include:

• CB/3 facilitates the timely exchange of information on regulatory matters related to construction products between UK Technical Committees, stakeholders, industry, government, and regulators. This allows updates on the UK and EU regulatory landscape to be communicated clearly, accurately, and efficiently to all relevant parties. 
• CB/3 provides guidance on the UK Construction Products Regulations and EU Construction Products Regulation, advising where needed to help UK Technical Committees align their work with the latest regulatory requirements, assisting committees in navigating regulatory changes and maintaining compliance with both UK and EU standards. 

Excluded is the responsibility for fire resistance and reaction to fire tests for building products, including test methods for external fire exposure of roofs and facades, is outside the scope of CB/3 and falls under the remit of FSH/0 and its associated committees. However, information exchange between CB/3 and FSH/0 is necessary. Any interested parties should contact Tom Stack, BSI Standards Development Manager directly on Tom.Stack@bsigroup.com.presentation and engagement as well as a topical speaking agenda. To register, click here.

News from our Spring Lunch Sponsors

Six ways specifiers can ensure accurate passive fire protection product specification

Wherever you are in the world, building safety relies on accurate product information. Without it, the risks of misguided specification or substitution, poor installation, inadequate classification, and noncompliance are high. This is especially prescient for passive fire protection, which is a fundamental but ultimately hidden part of an external wall system.  

But how can specifiers and engineers ensure they are choosing the correct products for their project? 1. Validate product performance claims

Product misinformation is a key challenge for specifiers of building products. If performance claims have been incorrectly stated or understood, it can jeopardise the performance of the building as a whole, making it more likely to fall short of its aims, and may lead to non-compliance with Building Regulations or Codes. At best, this will incur additional costs and time to rectify the issues. At worst, inappropriate product selection can severely compromise a building’s safety and longevity, with potentially devastating consequences. One example of how this can happen is when manufacturers generalise product approvals across entire categories or ranges instead of defining exactly which products have been successfully tested to the relevant standard. For example, in the case of rainscreen façade cavity barriers, this could be specifying to the minimum and maximum voids that can be protected by each product and comparing the products’ integrity and insulation performance.   

There are two ways that this risk can be mitigated. Firstly, specifiers should ensure the solutions they choose are supplied with all the relevant technical data sheets. Any performance claims should be backed up by testing that is relevant to the application it is intended for and carried out to the standards stipulated by the applicable compliance guidance or the regulations as a minimum. These results should be verified by accredited third-party certification bodies wherever possible as these schemes often include ongoing surveillance and auditing. This instils greater confidence in the manufacturer’s claims. Having this data easily accessible will allow engineers, other designers and auditing bodies working on the project to rigorously assess specifications, compare solutions and ensure compliance.  

Whilst there are steps specifiers can take to verify claims, the onus is of course on the people who produce the products not to mislead. There is a clear and urgent need for greater transparency in the construction product market. Whilst some have been championing this approach for decades, taking steps to ensure their product data files are as comprehensive and transparent as possible, there is much more work to be done to ensure this approach is replicated across businesses and the industry globally. 

One of the ways this is being driven at scale in the UK is through the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI). This provides a benchmark for how product information is created, presented, and marketed by construction product manufacturers. It comprises 11 key clauses which have been designed to ensure product data is:  

• Clear 
• Accurate 
• Up-to-date 
• Accessible 
• Unambiguous.  

This will allow everyone involved in specification and procurement to start from a level playing field, confident that the products they choose are not only suitable for the job in hand but have been subject to the appropriate tests and verifications.  

Whilst this is a UK-focused scheme, its principles and approaches are clearly replicable across the world. All manufacturers, regardless of where they are selling their products, should not only be looking at the ways they verify and present their product data, but how they can explain this process to specifiers, offering reassurance that their products will support them in creating safe and compliant buildings.  2. Make use of digital design platforms

Digital design tools, such as BIM, are becoming common practice across the world as it not only helps facilitate easier cross-party collaboration and visualisation but also helps designers and specifiers to scrutinise the safety aspects of the design in greater detail. All this product data should therefore be captured within usable BIM models which have been authored to industry standards, such as the NBS BIM Object Standard, to allow for easy and accurate integration into digital models and designs and simple comparisons and analyses between objects that satisfy the standard. 

In addition to this, information can also be hosted on specification platforms, such as NBS Source. This is a cloud-based platform that acts as a library of construction product information. This then integrates with NBS Chorus, which allows specifiers to create bespoke specifications and design models. To help with this process, Siderise’s NBS Chorus licence allows us to assist you with generating robust product specifications tailored to your project application as a licenced NBS Specification Writing Partner.  3. Collaborate with manufacturer technical departments

As experts in their products, manufacturers can assist with project-specific advice and guidance ranging from product selection advice and calculations to arranging bespoke testing of specific elements.  

For example, some of the services we offer at Siderise are 

• Design feedback. 
• Technical datasheets and parameter guidance. 
• Example detail drawings and AR 3D visualisations. 
• Standard details of example façade arrangements. 
• Project specific product suitability advice. 
• Technical detail drawing reviews and overlays. 
• Method statements and sequencing information. 
• Mock-up constructions and product samples. 
• Project-specific testing at our UKAS-accredited test centre 

Working with manufacturers of safety critical products earlier on in the construction process can help to limit the risk of changes to specifications as the products will not only be specified correctly for the application but be cost factored too. It can also help to build up a bank of information that can be incorporated in or used to contribute to the Golden Thread. This can include everything from test data to a history of technical communications and training and can be added to in later stages of construction, such as when product installation inspections have taken place. 4. Make the most of CPD and training opportunities

Understanding how product performance is measured and how a product should work can make it easier to spot inconsistencies and ensure that the correct test standards have been used. Undertaking CPD opportunities developed by passive fire protection experts is one way to enhance your knowledge and keep up to date with any technical advancements. 

For example, at Siderise, we offer various training opportunities for specifiers working in all kinds of sectors and contexts such as: 

• CPD seminars in-person or livestream. 
• Webinars live and on-demand. 
• Online learning courses and educational e-modules. 
• ASFP Recognised product and application specific training programmes in-person at Siderise HQ. 
• National training roadshow events by invitation. 

5. Check out the competency of your suppliers to provide this support

Of course, for manufacturers to be a genuinely useful resource, it is vital that the industry feels confident in their competency too. As a minimum, manufacturers should have some kind of independent verification of their quality control and management systems, such as ISO 9001. At Siderise, our laboratory facilitates off-the-line fire testing and comprehensive testing of raw materials before production to ensure our products offer outstanding performance. We also conduct stringent incoming checks on key materials from suppliers.  

Additionally, manufacturers should also be making clear commitments to competency and upskilling. This is another thing requested by the CCPI, which states that anyone conveying ‘Product Information’ must be competent to the right level of knowledge.  

For example, Siderise technical staff undergo formalised training with ongoing upskilling to ensure sufficient product knowledge, and with a view to achieving professional qualifications provided by the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE). This ensures that design or product suitability advice is backed by accurate and accessible product data and has been delivered by someone competent enough to interpret the project needs and requirements, understand any potential parameters or limitations, and identify the right solutions. 6. Use Siderise Specification Packs

To support architects, fire engineers and specifiers in collating the rich technical data they need to ensure accurate and supported passive fire protection specifications, we have launched new Specification Packs. With versions available tailored to meet the needs of masonry, rainscreen, curtain wall, and precast and sealed external wall applications, each Specification Pack concisely summarises all the relevant product information for the designated application.  

This includes: 

• Technical datasheets. 
• Third-party certification. 
• Standard detail drawings. 
• BIM objects. 
• Specification information and clauses. 
• Installation instructions. 

It also introduces our enhanced support services available at different project stages. By including direct links to the latest information, users can be assured that they are working with the most up-to-date data and certifications, reducing risk of holding outdated material. 

CPA in the News

Building Products & Services: the sectors to watch in 2025
The Construction Products Association (CPA) forecasts an 8% rise in private housing output in 2025, following two years of decline. The Government’s increased housebuilding targets, despite affordability challenges, are expected to stimulate the market. Measures in the new housing strategy, set to be announced in the summer, should bring growth and opportunities across the supply chain…
BDO Global | 02/07/2025 |Online

Brick deliveries up but housebuilding activity ‘years away’ from 1.5m target
Construction Products Association economics director Noble Francis said the brick-delivery figures were in line with expectations, which reflected “that housebuilding starts are recovering from a very low base as interest and mortgage rates gradually fall while housebuilding completions will not rise as rapidly”. He added: “We are still years away from 2022 levels of housebuilding, never mind the types of levels of housebuilding that government would need to get anywhere near its 1.5 million net additional homes in England during the five-year parliament target.”
Construction News | 02/07/2025 |Online

CPA welcomes government’s 10-Year Industrial Strategy
The Construction Products Association (CPA) has expressed strong support for the UK Government’s newly launched 10 year Industrial Strategy. Hot on the heals of a Spending Review, and an Infrastruture Strategy, the government has release its long-awaited Industrial Strategy for the next 10 years. It purports to set out a “new economic approach to backing the UK’s strengths, with ambitious plans for eight high-growth sectors”.
Builder Merchant News | 23/06/2025 |Online
also in: Agg-Net, Specification Online, Roofing today 

This ‘cheap as chips’ FTSE 250 stock looks like a bargain to consider right now!
Today, the kitchen landscape seems to be shifting. The Construction Products Association (CPA) has recently issued its latest projections for the British repair, maintenance, and improvement sector – the second largest in the UK construction industry.
Yahoo Finance | 23/06/2025 |Online

First timber import growth in Q1 since 2021, figures show
The latest Construction Products Association (CPA) forecast suggests that the UK new housebuilding and housing repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) markets will grow over the next three years. The Spring CPA forecast has reduced its growth rate since its previous Winter forecast, but despite the uncertainty, growth of 2.8% is still forecast in 2025, with a more than 4% increase for 2026 and 2027.
Specification online | 20/06/2025 |Online

Rachel Reeves to set out 10-year UK infrastructure plan
Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association, a trade body, said the spending review had confirmed a 17 per cent cut to roads funding over the life of this parliament. “The government keeps making more announcements on improving the state of road infrastructure, but once you dig below the headlines, the reality is markedly different,” he added. “Annual funding for our crumbling roads and bridges is being cut and the use of private finance on key projects may prove an expensive bet for taxpayers.”
FT | 16/06/2025 | Online
also in: Les Actualites, WDC.TVNews,