CPA Weekly Notes – 6th February 2026

Issue No. 1187, 6th February 2026 FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Association Activities

CPA AGM and Spring Lunch Tables on Sale
23rd April 2026 11:30 – 15:20 Hilton Park Lane, London 
The CPA Spring Lunch is recognised as one of the most important construction industry networking events, attracting a senior audience from across the construction supply chain including manufacturers and suppliers, clients, contractors, influential political and media contacts. Reserve your table now here.

Sponsorship Opportunities at CPA Spring Lunch 2026
We are delighted to offer a range of sponsorship opportunities designed to maximise your brand exposure before, during, and after the event. Partnering with us will help you connect with a highly relevant and engaged audience. For further details, please contact Fabi.

Blog: Warm Homes Plan: Big Ambition, Familiar Delivery Risks
The Construction Products Association (CPA) welcomes the government’s Warm Homes Plan and its renewed focus on incentivising the uptake of renewable energy products such as heat pumps and solar, but we do not welcome its move away from a ‘fabric first’ approach and proper insulation. Indeed, the government has decided to generate more energy rather conserve it. With millions of households facing persistently high energy bills, and homes being responsible for around 20% of the UK’s carbon emissions the need for a large-scale, long-term retrofit programme has never been clearer. If delivered effectively, the Warm Homes Plan has the potential to support households, stimulate construction activity, and accelerate progress towards net zero. However, experience suggests that ambition alone is not enough. Read the full blog piece here.

CPA Webinar: Construction Industry Forecasts – Winter 2025/26 Edition – Recording now available.
The recording of the webinar for the Construction Industry Forecasts – Winter 2025/26 Edition, hosted by CPA’s Economics Director Professor Noble Francis, is now available to members for replay on our website. The webinar covered the UK economy this year, the latest construction data, new construction forecasts for the key sectors, and highlighted key risks to the economy. The recording can be accessed here.

Weekly Calendar of Meetings 

• Peter Caplehorn, CPA Chief Executive, will have a number of meetings with members this week; will 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.
• Professor Noble Francis, CPA Economics Director, will present on a webinar hosted by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers; and attend an Economic Affairs Committee hosted by the Mineral Products Association.
• Rebecca Larkin, CPA Head of Construction Research, will be giving a construction forecast update at the MPA’s Economic Affairs Committee meeting.
• Mark Wilkinson, CPA Senior Technical Manager, will attend a Property Flood Resilience Roundtable hosted by FloodRe.
• Jane Thornback, CPA Sustainability Policy Advisor, will join a regular meeting of the Emissions Trading System / Net Zero working group hosted by the UK Emissions Trading Group; and attend a Sustainability Leadership Group meeting hosted by the Finishes & Interiors Sector. 
• 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 can be found here it includes:

• S&P Global UK Construction PMI (January 2026)
• RICS UK Construction Monitor (2025 Q4)
• DBT UK Brick Deliveries (December 2025)
• Bank of England UK Mortgage Approvals (December 2025)
• Nationwide UK House Price Index (January 2026)

The CPA’s Winter Forecasts were published on Monday 26 January and can be found here.

Government Update

PAS 2000 Launch Event 
This free event marks the launch of PAS 2000 and is aimed at those involved in manufacturing, specifying, testing, or procuring construction products. Regulatory requirements and expectations around product safety, accountability, and evidence are increasing. The event will explain what PAS 2000 covers, why it matters, and how organisations can apply it in practice.
Developed in response to the Morrell/Day Testing for a Safer Future report and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, PAS 2000 sets out a framework for demonstrating that reasonable steps have been taken to ensure products are safe for their intended use. It supports the delivery of clear, accurate, and reliable evidence on product safety and performance, helping to meet the needs of clients, partners, and regulators. Details and booking can be found here.

Building Safety Regulator Re-Launched as Standalone Organisation
The Building Safety Regulator officially moved from the Health and Safety Executive to a standalone organisation under the sponsorship of MHCLG. This paves the way for the creation of a single construction regulator. As a new organisation, the BSR will work towards establishing a single regulator by promoting competence and higher standards.
This move is underpinned by a significant operational reset in the BSR’s role as the building control authority for higher-risk buildings. It must be noted that the BSR’s mandate extends far beyond high-rise oversight to a broader responsibility for safety and standards for all buildings across England.

Warm Homes Plan Launched 
The government has launched a £15 billion Warm Homes Plan to upgrade up to five million homes by 2030, focusing on insulation, solar PV, batteries and heat pumps to reduce energy bills and improve energy efficiency. The programme targets low-income households with fully funded retrofit packages, while also offering low- and zero-interest loans for homeowners and new protections and standards for rented and social housing. The plan can be accessed in full here.

The Single Construction Regulator Prospectus
The Single Construction Regulator (SCR) Prospectus has now been published by the HSE. This marks a significant milestone in reform of the built environment, following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations.  The prospectus sets out our vision for a coherent, accountable regulatory system that prioritises safety, quality, and trust across buildings, products, and professions. It outlines how a new regulator will consolidate oversight functions, reduce fragmentation, and drive cultural change across the sector. You can read the full prospectus here. The CPA technical committee will lead our response to this publication.

Industry News

Latest BMBI Report
The latest Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) report for November 2025 (published on 04 February 2026) is now available.  Produced by MRA Research, a CPA Associate, the report reveals that builders’ merchants’ like-for-like total value sales in November 2025 were -0.4% lower than the same month in 2024. To read the report in full please click here.

The Built Environment Competence Hub is now live
The Built Environment Competence Hub, managed by BSI and developed in collaboration with the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is designed to bring industry together in a central space to strengthen competence across the UK built environment. Register for the hub here.

CPA in the News

Construction Leadership Council’s materials group admits market looks ‘bleak’ at moment
Peter Caplehorn, CEO of the Construction Products Association, co-chairs of the Construction Leadership Council’s Material Supply Chain Group. The first report of the year from the CLC’s Material Supply Chain Group is notable for its bleak assessment of market prospects without urgent action to stimulate demand.
Building | 29/01/2026 | online
also in BuildNews, Specification Online, Roofing Today, Tilezine

CPA finds construction growth held back by uncertainty
According to the CPA’s latest forecasts, overall construction output is expected to rise by just 1.7% in 2026, a significant downgrade from the 2.8% growth forecast in October.
Builders Merchant News | 26/01/2026 | online
also in Professional Merchants News, Project Scotland, PBC Today, Fix Radio, Construction News

Tender prices rise 2.5% in a year
Construction Products Association economics director Noble Francis pointed out that brick deliveries between January and November 2025 only managed to climb 6.2 per cent higher than the figure for 2024 and were 25 per cent lower than in 2022. They were also lower than in 2020, when most housebuilding shut down for a period due to the Covid pandemic. “This is very disappointing, as back in summer 2024, we would have expected double-digit growth in starts and high single-digit growth in completions in 2025 and 2026, from a low base,” he said.
Construction News | 15/01/2026 | online

UK Construction Industry Poised for 3-4.5% Growth in 2026, But Critical Workforce Shortage Threatens Recovery
The report from the UK Construction Blog, which synthesises forecasts from leading industry bodies including the Construction Products Association…
Today in Business | 08/01/2026 | online
This story has achieved widespread regional coverage across the US.