CPA Weekly Notes – 31st October 2025

Issue No. 1175, 31st October 2025 FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Association Activities

CPA Autumn Lunch 2025 – 13 November 
The event is now sold out, and the microsite with all details about the event, such as: sponsors, menu, seating plan and link to pre-order drinks, has been sent to all guests that kindly gave us their contact email. If you have any queries please get in touch with Fabi. 
The CPA is looking forward to welcoming all guests that purchased a seat the Brewery, on the 13th November.

CPA Autumn Budget Letter to Chancellor and Call for New Build Housing Sector Support
With the Autumn Budget scheduled for 26 November, the CPA wrote to the Chancellor recommending a number of key actions that the government could take to support our sector and the wider UK construction industry.  These include infrastructure delivery and procurement; investment, taxation and productivity measures; funding for the relevant regulators and enforcement bodies in the sector; and support for Repair, Maintenance and Improvement.
Critically, following publication this week of our Autumn Forecasts and feedback from our members, we have followed that letter with a press release publicly urging government to support the new build private housing sector.  This would take the form of a time-limited stimulus for house building demand – particularly for first-time buyers – that we believe is necessary to avoid the likelihood of worsening job losses, skills shortages and manufacturing capacity unless this government acts to stimulate growth in this essential sector. 
We are pushing all these messages through our various channels.  Furthermore, we want you to know that since the spring when we first saw evidence of a waning recovery, we have taken every opportunity with ministers, MP’s and civil servants to flag the ‘headwinds’ facing our industry; e.g., rising NMW and Employer NI contributions, high energy prices, tariffs and taxes (such as EPR, Landfill Tax and the Boiler Tax), continued costs from Brexit such as CE/CA, UK REACH and non-tariff barriers, and of course the general economic malaise that has dragged on consumer and investor sentiment.
We will continue to press home these points before and after the Budget and would appreciate your feedback and any supporting arguments / evidence. 

Declaration of Performance
The CPA have published with the OPSS – ‘Understanding your Declaration of Performance obligations for the GB market’. The Declaration of Performance (DoP) is a central requirement under the Construction Products Regulation 2011 (GB). It provides a standardised way for manufacturers and other economic operators to communicate how a construction product performs against its essential characteristics. By doing so, the DoP supports transparency, comparability, and compliance, helping architects, builders, designers, and regulators make informed decisions about which products are suitable for use. The guide explains the obligations that apply to manufacturers, importers, distributors, and authorised representatives when drawing up and providing a DoP. It sets out when a DoP must be created, what information it must contain, and how it should be supplied. While it does not replace the legislation itself, the guide is intended to make the requirements of the CPR 2011 (GB) clearer and more accessible, enabling businesses to meet their legal duties with confidence and consistency. the document can be found here.

CPA Weekly Calendar of Meetings

• Peter Caplehorn, CPA Chief Executive, will meet privately with the new Building Safety Minister, Samantha Dixon MBE MP.  host a meeting of our Trade Association Council; meet with directors at the MHCLG, OPSS and Building Safety Regulator to discuss product issues; and join a regular meeting of the Construction Leadership Council’s Task Force.
• Jeff May, CPA Deputy Chief Executive, will present to the Trade Association Council; will meet with officials from the Department for Business and Trade to discuss the cumulative impact on manufacturers from various government policies; and attend the weekly CLC meeting.
• Professor Noble Francis, CPA Economics Director, will present to the Trade Association Council about the current market forecast; and meet with the Forum of Statistics User Group
• Jane Thornback, CPA Sustainability Policy Advisor, will present to the Trade Association Council about sustainability policy issues; meet with the Green Construction Board Adaptation & Resilience Working Group about a systems approach to adaptation and resilience in the Built Environment.
• Hanna Clarke, Digital and Policy Manager, will have a variety of meetings with industry colleagues and civil servants around both competence and digitalisation of product information.

Economics Update

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

• Government’s 1.5 Million Homes Target and the CPA Forecasts (October 2025)
• HMRC UK Residential Property Transactions (September 2025)
• Bank of England UK Mortgage Approvals (September 2025)
• Nationwide UK House Price Index (October 2025)

The CPA’s Autumn forecasts were published on Monday, 27 October, and are available from the CPA Website, whilst its Winter forecasts will be published on Monday 26th January 2026. 

CPA Construction Trade Survey 
The 2025 Q2 survey is now available to read here.

Regional Construction Hotspots in Great Britain 2025
This annual regional report, made in partnership between the CPA and Barbour ABI, analyses construction contract awards at a high level of regional granularity, firstly to identify pockets of growth or contraction – hotspots and coldspots – in regional activity and secondly, to offer a forward-looking indication of growth by region and by sector. The report compiled by the CPA with Barbour ABI is now available and can be read here.

Capacity constraints in construction: rethinking the business environment
The CPA contributed significantly to a new economic report by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) exploring the construction industry’s capacity to deliver on key targets and meet demand for new homes and infrastructure in the UK. The report can be found here.

Government Update

Government Increases Discount for Energy Intensive Manufacturers
Business Secretary Peter Kyle announced that government plans to increase the discount on electricity network charges for businesses in sectors including CPA members like steel, cement, glass, and chemicals from 60 percent to 90 percent. Around 500 of the UK’s most energy-intensive businesses are set to save on their electricity bills from next April. The increased discount under the Network Charging Compensation (NCC) Scheme will bring down electricity bills for businesses by cutting the prices they pay to access the UK’s electricity network. Some of these businesses currently pay the highest industrial electricity prices in the G7, making it harder to stay competitive on the international stage.  To learn more, click here.

Government Sends Out EPR Bills
These first-year invoices, based on 2024 packaging data submitted by producers, will cover recycling and disposal costs for the assessment year April 2025 to March 2026.  
Guidance has been published here to help producers prepare and government have also launched a Customer Service Desk to support with questions: eprcustomerservice@defra.gov.uk 
The helpdesk is open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm during October 2025 and closed on weekends and bank holidays. Normal opening hours for the helpdesk post October 25 are 8am to 4.30pm.  

Review published setting new course for mainstreaming property flood resilience
The CPA have contributed to the FloodReady Review and Action Plan that provides recommendations and practical steps to improve the take up of property flood resilience (PFR) measures. The Review, led by Professor Peter Bonfield, brought together leaders from across various sectors who all have an important role in improving the PFR uptake.
Property flood resilience measures – such as flood doors, non-return valves and air bricks – can help to keep as much water out of a property as possible. They also include measures like tiled floors and raised electrics, so if water does enter, it minimises damage and helps people get back on their feet quicker. The use of Sustainable Drainage Systems at property level, for example permeable paving and rain gardens, can also reduce the risk of surface water flooding.

DESNZ Survey Request
The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Product Standards team invites CPA members to take part in a short survey on Ecodesign requirements for standby, off-mode and networked standby.  The aim of this survey is to gather evidence on the potential impacts if the UK aligns with the EU’s updated Regulation (EU) 2023/826, and to compare these with the current GB requirements under Regulation (EC) No 1275/2008. The EU’s updated rules would increase the stringency of requirements and bring additional products into scope. Your input will help DESNZ assess the implications for UK businesses and inform future policy.
 The survey can be accessed via the following link: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90904374/Standby-Networked-Standby-Survey.  It will ask some questions about your organisation, your product portfolio, and your views on the current and future requirements.  A separate Excel file is provided for you to add technical and sales volume details about your products.
 All responses will be viewed only by DESNZ and its research agencies and combined to build an anonymised, aggregate picture. If you are a trade association, you are welcome to provide association-level responses and/or coordinate input from your members.

Government consultation on water efficiency requirements in building regulations
Government is proposing a plan to strengthen Water Efficiency Standards in the Building Regulations 2010, Part G, to require tighter standards in new homes.  It also seeks more information on enabling water reuse systems in new developments to enable even greater water efficiency in homes. The deadline is 16 December.  Find the documents here Water Efficiency Standards: a review of Building Regulations 2010 Part G2 – GOV.UK

Industry News

HSE Newsletter 

The HSE have released a building control Gateway 2 update to 1 October 2025, demonstrating initial positive impacts on application processes for new high-rise residential buildings. The update comes amidst a steady rising pace of decisions, with determinations reaching an all-time high of 209 across all application types during August. 

As of 1 October 2025, 544 Gateway 2 decisions were made. This is a 111% increase compared to the 257 decisions made between January and March.  The BSR have also created a specialist Innovation Unit that has seen the majority of its new build applications dealt with by or before the 12-week target. 

Charlie Pugsley, Chief Executive Officer of BSR, said: “The regulator has been learning from the last two years, has listened to industry feedback and acted decisively through these substantial operational changes we are piloting, which have shown immediate, positive results. However, we recognise there are ongoing challenges including national skills shortages, and we are committed to use agile problem-solving to work constructively with the wider sector and industry applicants.” The newsletter can be read in full here.

News from Our Autumn Lunch Sponsors 

Siderise becomes the first UK business to decarbonise UAE export route with FSEW
 Siderise is the first business in the UK to use international freight forwarder, FSEW’s, premium Greenflow service­, allowing it to decarbonise its road and sea export route between its main passive fire protection manufacturing facility in Maesteg, Wales and Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, marking a major step in reducing the carbon footprint of its international freight operations.
As global experts in passive fire protection for the building envelope, Siderise’s cavity barriers and firestops are in high demand for projects around the world where project stakeholders are seeking to achieve best practice fire safety. To ensure these orders are fulfilled efficiently without increasing its carbon footprint, Siderise has partnered with FSEW, adopting its premium Greenflow service to achieve net zero emissions for the Maesteg-Jebel Ali Port portion of its exported products’ journey.
Between Maesteg and Southampton Port, products are transported using FSEW’s own zero-emission fleet of electric HGVs and bio-fuelled trucks, eliminating diesel-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The sea leg between Southampton and Jebel Ali is then subject to ‘carbon insetting’­— an industry-centric audited programme where biofuel is purchased­ for use by marine vessels, helping to holistically reduce the impact of sea haulage.
To date, 14 containers have been delivered via this new process in less than two months.  By using electric HGVs instead of diesel trucks, 2.45 tCO₂e of road transport emissions have been avoided, with only 0.36 tCO₂e generated, including indirect emissions from electricity generation. This, combined with 20 tCO₂e from sea freight fully neutralised through certified maritime insetting, brings the total emissions for the entire journey to net zero.

Sera Turkoglu, ESG Manager for Siderise Group, explained the impact of this new logistics approach:
“At the heart of our Planet ESG pillar is a commitment to tackling climate change by analysing and addressing our GHG emissions across our operations. However, as most of our carbon footprint falls under Scope 3 emissions, it is essential for us to act across our value chain.
That’s why we’ve partnered with FSEW to take a closer look at one of our most carbon-intensive trade routes. As the first business to sign up to FSEW’s innovative Greenflow service, the results speak for themselves. After just 14 shipments, we’re seeing how this collaboration enables significant emissions reductions and measurable progress in decarbonising our international freight.
The rollout of electric trucks has delivered benefits beyond cutting emissions, notably reducing noise pollution in Maesteg and surrounding areas. This shift is helping create a cleaner, quieter environment for our neighbours, and is a great example of how sustainable innovation can positively impact both communities and the climate.
Being the first company in the UK to take this step is a proud moment. It is strategic move toward reducing our indirect emissions and demonstrating that innovation and collaboration can accelerate the transition to a net zero future.”
Geoff Tomlinson, Managing Director and Founder of FSEW, added:
“One of the biggest and most difficult challenges for businesses is reducing Scope 3 GHG emissions, which often account for over 70% of a business’s total carbon footprint. We launched Greenflow to tackle this head on, leveraging advanced technologies, renewable energy and data-driven strategies to achieve measurable sustainability milestones while ensuring reliable and efficient freight operations.
Siderise has been an excellent partner to launch this scheme into the market. Equally passionate about great customer service and committed to emissions reduction, they have embraced new ways of approaching their freight needs, and we were thrilled to be able to optimise this service to meet their needs without additional costs. I look forward to seeing where our collaborations take us next.”
Further discussions are now underway to find solutions to decarbonise the route from Jebel Ali to Siderise Dubai site, as well as to optimise other export routes.
Learn more about Siderise and its ESG commitments.
Learn more about FSEW Greenflow.

 

CPA in the News

Pre-budget uncertainty impacts forecasts for UK construction output
The Construction Products Association’s (CPA) Autumn Forecasts reveal that growth expectations for UK construction output have been revised ‘substantially down’ amid growing risks and uncertainty surrounding potential tax rises in the upcoming budget.
Project Scotland | 27/10/2025 | Online
Also in BMN, Roofing Today, AggNet, BMJ, Construction Index, Construction Enquirer, CN, Specification Online, pbcToday, Building, ConstructUK.

CPA Urges Chancellor to Support Housing Sector Ahead of Autumn Budget
The Construction Products Association (CPA) has written to the Chancellor on behalf of the UK’s manufacturers and suppliers of construction …
Roofing Today | 29/10/2025 | Online
Also in Builders Merchants Journal | Construction Enquirer