CPA Weekly Notes – 25th July 2025

Issue No. 1161, 25th July 2025 FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Association Activities

CPA Webinar: Construction Industry Forecasts- Summer 2025 Edition – 30 July 11am
We would like to invite you and your respective members to join the CPA webinar for our Construction Industry Forecasts – Summer 2025 Edition. The webinar will cover the UK economy this year, the latest construction data, and the new construction forecasts for the key sectors, as well as highlighting key risks to the economy. Click here to register.

Technical Committee Hybrid meeting
Last week the CPA technical committee met for a meeting at Siderise Insulation in Bridgend. The meeting included a Fire Test Lab tour and Factory tour. Agenda items included updates from MHCLG and an Independent Research Proposal sponsored by UKAS on “Evaluating the Opportunities for Digitalisation of Conformity Assessment for Construction Products in UK (including Great Britain and Northern Ireland).” To learn more about the work of the Technical Committee please contact the CPA Senior Technical Manager, Mark Wilkinson.

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.

Economics Update

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

RIBA Future Trends Survey (June 2025)
Wickes Trading Update (July 2025)
Howden Joinery Trading Update (July 2025)

The CPA’s Summer Forecasts will be published on Monday, 28 July will be available for members to download from the CPA Website.

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.ail every Friday please contact noble.francis@constructionproducts.org.uk; alternatively, you can click here to read it now.@constructionproducts.org.uk; alternatively, you can click here to read it now.

Government Update

The Shadow Cabinet reshuffle concluded this week

Sir James Cleverly is now the Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with Kevin Hollinrake taking a new position as Chairman of the Conservative Party. The CPA is making arrangements to meet with Sir James.

Government publishes Infrastructure Pipeline
UK’s major infrastructure projects published giving investors and British business the certainty to plan for the long term.

NISTA’s new interactive Pipeline website sets out 780 planned projects including transport, energy, schools and hospitals.
Follows publication of government’s landmark 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy setting out new approach to infrastructure and vital reforms to ensure planning and delivery is joined up.
The pipeline will managed by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) and updated on a regular basis. Learn more about the pipeline here.

Government publishes Joint plan to accelerate remediation of social housing
The Government have published a joint plan between social landlords, regulators and government, where they have committed to working together to accelerate remediation of 11m+ social buildings in England that have unsafe cladding. The joint plan includes 22 actions that will help them to achieve 3 objectives:

fix buildings
find all unsafe buildings requiring remedial works
support residents

In the joint plan, government and social landlords committed to the target dates for remediation set out in the wider Remediation Acceleration Plan:

By the end of 2029, every 18m+ residential building in a government funded scheme will be remediated.
By the end of 2029, every 11m+ building with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated, have a date for completion, or its landlords will be liable for penalties.

The plan sets stretch targets for when social buildings will be remediated, and the action that government, social landlords and regulators will take to achieve them.

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.

Industry News

BSR Releases Gateway 2 Guidance
The guidance forms one of the CLC key deliverables around this issue and we hope will provide the means and confidence to improve the system. The CPA is also lobbying for greater visibility and monthly data around the current applications including clarity about expected approval dates and reasons for rejections; more resources and upskilling at the Regulator, as well as further improvements to the application ‘customer journey’.

Karl Whiteman, Berkeley Group Plc Divisional Chairman and Industry Sponsor for the CLC’s Building Safety Workstream, said: “On behalf of the CLC I want to thank the many expert contributors to these guidance notes, including members of Local Authority Building Control, Construction Industry Council (CIC) Industry Council, Build UK, the The G15 (a membership group of London’s leading housing associations), Construction Products Association, RIBA, Architectural Technical Leads Group and the Home Builders Federation.”

The CPA will continue to have regular meetings – both privately and alongside the CLC – with the BSR, Office for Product Safety and Standards, and MHCLG around such issues and will keep you updated. The CLC release can be read here.

BSI PAS 2000 Webinar
The BSI are hosting a webinar to showcase how PAS 2000 supports construction product stakeholders in bringing safer, trusted products to market with confidence. The webinar is being held on July 30^th, 2-3pm. You can register for the event here. The main points covered in the webinar include:

The background and purpose of PAS 2000, including its role in advancing product safety.
A walkthrough of the document’s structure and practical application.
How PAS 2000 supports manufacturers, importers, distributors, specifiers, and end users.
Key milestones, including the DPC deadline and publication roadmap.
How to engage with the standard and provide meaningful feedback during the DPC phase.

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:

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

CPA in the News

CLC publishes new Gateway 2 guidance to help with applications
The CLC guide has been produced with the BSR and industry. It includes contributions from members of the Local Authority Building Control, the Construction Industry Council, Build UK, the G15 (a membership group of London’s biggest housing associations), the Construction Products Association, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Architectural Technical Leads Group and the Home Builders Federation
Construction Management | 22/07/2025 |Online
Also in Building, Roofing Today, FPA

Growth returns but labour cost pressures intensify
Construction products manufacturing returned to growth in the second quarter of 2025, according to the Construction Products Association’s latest State of Trade Survey. Heavy side manufacturers reported an increase in sales during the quarter, returning to growth after a weak Q1, while for light side manufacturers, a run of growth expanded to six quarters
Builders Merchants News| 21/07/2025 |Online
Also in BMJ, Constructionindex, R oofingToday, Construction News, Project Scotland, Specification Online, Construction Enquirer.

Why the government’s 10-year NHS plan is good news for architects
The latest forecast from the Construction Products Association points to real-term growth over the three years 2025 to 2027 of about 13 per cent in construction related to health, both public and private. Growth in public health funded construction activity is expected to be about 17 per cent over that period, well above the expected 9 per cent to 10 per cent growth across construction overall.
Ribaj.com | 16/07/2025 |Online

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