Members are at the heart of everything the National Federation of Builders does. Whether that is visiting members on site, strengthening services, representing businesses in policy discussions or creating opportunities that support growth, our focus is on making sure membership delivers practical value. This update brings together some of the key areas we have been working on recently and what they mean for you and your organisation.
Celebrating Members
Recently our team visited Blenheim Palace to see the scaffolding works delivered by NFB member Allen and Foxworthy. It was an excellent example of the specialist capability our members bring to some of the country’s most sensitive and important heritage environments, and a reminder of the depth of expertise across the NFB’s membership.
I also had the pleasure of visiting Pearce Construction in Taunton to celebrate their 80th anniversary, an impressive milestone that reflects long-term commitment to the sector and their region. During the visit I toured their Boutport Street redevelopment, where they have successfully brought a property that had been vacant for more than 30 years back into use!
This month, we also delivered a practical member webinar focused on how to get your business website right and the resources construction companies need to maintain a strong digital presence. Members continue to benefit from our exclusive discounted website package with Mosaic Digital Media at £950 + VAT, helping businesses strengthen their visibility in an increasingly digital marketplace.
Looking ahead, we are hosting an invite-only roundtable with Wickes at their headquarters, where we will be discussing the growing role of solar and what changing expectations around energy performance mean for residential delivery. For an invitation, contact info@builders.org.uk.
Ask NFB: Practical Support When You Need It
Ask NFB is one of the NFB’s most important services and one of the clearest demonstrations of membership value. It is not simply a helpline. It is a principle that sits at the heart of how we support members. If you need help with any aspect of running your construction business, you should simply Ask NFB.
Recent guidance published through the service includes support on protecting your business from invoice fraud, understanding how employers can engage with further education providers, accessing business planning templates and responding to the implications of the Employment Rights Act.
Members can access advice quickly and directly by contacting the Ask NFB national desk at 03450 578 160 or by emailing AskNFB@builders.org.uk. If there is an issue affecting your business, there is a strong chance we can help you resolve it.
Construction Awards of Excellence 2026
Entries are now open for the Construction Awards of Excellence 2026, one of the NFB’s flagship celebration recognising outstanding contractors, housebuilders, projects and individuals across the UK. We are particularly pleased to confirm City & Guilds as our main sponsor this year, reflecting the shared importance we place on skills, competence and professional development across the construction sector.
This year also introduces two important new categories: Excellence in Heritage Craft and the Future of Construction Award, recognising pioneering use of digital, data, technology and AI. These categories reflect both the sector’s traditional strengths and its future direction, and I strongly encourage members to consider submitting entries.
HBA Newsletter: Strategic Intelligence for Members
Members also benefit from access to our HBA newsletter, which provides high-level market intelligence and policy insight across construction, planning, skills and regulation. It is designed to help members understand what government is prioritising, where investment is being directed and how the wider operating environment is changing.
Recent updates highlight a mixed but important picture. Construction output has fallen by around 2.0% over the latest three-month period, with private new housing one of the main drivers of decline, while uncertainty continues to influence new orders and investment decisions across the sector.
At the same time, planning reform remains a central government priority, with neighbourhood planning rules evolving to support housing delivery and major programmes such as the £39 billion social and affordable homes programme continuing to shape the pipeline.
Skills pressures also remain acute, with tens of thousands of vacancies across construction and around a quarter of the workforce expected to retire within five years. Meanwhile, regulatory change continues to move quickly, including updates from the Building Safety Regulator, which will have practical implications for delivery and compliance across the industry.
Training: Supporting Members Through Major Sector Change
We are pleased to launch our new Navigating Net Zero in Construction workshop, designed to help members respond confidently to one of the biggest structural changes affecting the sector.
Net Zero is rapidly becoming both a commercial expectation from clients and a growing regulatory requirement across projects and supply chains. This expert-led session provides a practical introduction to Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, reporting expectations, government direction and the steps businesses can take to begin building a credible Net Zero strategy.
Alongside this new workshop, members continue to benefit from our Building Safety Act Awareness course, which explains duty holder responsibilities and competence expectations in clear practical terms, and our NFB Leadership Diploma, a structured four-part programme supporting new and aspiring managers to develop leadership and people management skills tailored specifically to construction businesses.
Local Elections and the Changing Construction Landscape
With local elections taking place in May, members should be aware that the outcomes will shape planning priorities, housing delivery decisions, infrastructure investment and procurement pipelines across many parts of England.
Changes in council leadership influence the pace of local plan preparation, regeneration strategy and attitudes towards development. For contractors and clients alike, these elections are not simply political events. They affect the conditions in which projects come forward and the confidence with which authorities pursue growth.
More importantly, these elections sit within a wider structural shift that will become increasingly visible afterwards: the continued rollout of English devolution and the strengthening role of Strategic Authorities and metro mayors in shaping housing, infrastructure, regeneration and skills investment.
Decision-making is moving away from fragmented departmental programmes and individual district boundaries towards regional growth strategies that coordinate transport investment, labour supply and development pipelines across economic areas. In practice, this means construction opportunity will increasingly follow regional spatial strategies and integrated funding settlements rather than traditional local authority-only planning routes.
Alongside our Policy team, we have been meeting members across the country to explain what this means in practical terms. These conversations are feeding directly into our forthcoming report, English Devolution and the Construction Sector, which sets out how Strategic Authorities will operate, how funding flows are changing and what organisations should be doing now to position themselves effectively within the new delivery environment.
Representing Members on CITB Reform
Training funding remains a major priority for members following recent changes by the CITB.
Members have raised clear concerns about levy value, transparency, supply chain access to training support and the pace of reform, and we are treating these issues as a priority in our engagement with CITB.
To represent members’ views directly, we attend the CITB Prescribed Organisations Leaders Forum, we convened an NFB Major Contractors Group session with CITB Chief Executive Tim Balcon, and we delivered a member workshop collecting views from across the NFB so that our engagement reflects real business experience across the sector.
This evidence is shaping the NFB’s developing position and ongoing engagement with CITB leadership and consultations. If members would like to share their own experience of CITB funding, levy value or access to training support, I would strongly encourage you to get in contact directly so that your views can be reflected in this work.
What’s Coming Up for Members
Looking ahead, we have a strong programme of activity planned over the coming months designed to help members stay informed, connected and commercially prepared.
Our upcoming webinar series will cover CITB’s industry picture and how employers can respond to current workforce challenges, funding routes for remediating building safety defects in residential buildings, managing the risks associated with working at height, and why sustainability is increasingly becoming a deciding factor in who wins work across both public and private sector projects.
Later in the year, we will also bring members together at two major national events. The Heritage & Traditional Build Conference 2026, taking place in September at Painters’ Hall in London, will focus on the opportunities and responsibilities involved in working with historic buildings and traditional materials. In November, the Construction Awards of Excellence 2026 will once again celebrate the outstanding achievements of contractors, housebuilders and professionals from across the UK and provide an important opportunity for members to showcase the quality of their work.
