Radical New Plans | Episode 137

**Construction Disrupted Episode 137 - Radical New Plans (21.10.26) in partnership with Adobe Acrobat Studio. Check them out and show them some love.** In this episode, we're discussing what a credible Budget could unlock—from viable homes and long-term retrofit to the apprentices needed to deliver them. With housing consents running at just 58% of the level needed to meet the government’s annual target, ministers must decide how to fund the planning, delivery and skills capacity their promises depend on. Is it possible? The Budget must treat construction as a national priority Construction is presented as the foundation of economic growth, housing delivery and net-zero progress—not a side issue for the Treasury. Planning consents are at a 20-year low: 216,141 homes received permission in the year to Q1 2026, only 58% of the annual level needed to meet the government’s 1.5 million-home target. Meanwhile, contractor failures are damaging supply chains and local projects. The article calls for a serious Budget package: multi-year funding for planning departments, more flexible Section 106 agreements, a construction resilience fund, value-based procurement and a predictable public-work pipeline. It also argues for a decade-long retrofit programme, expanded apprenticeships and FE capacity, plus stronger Building Safety Regulator performance. Think-tank sets out a radical new plan to make housing more affordable in every postcode The Prosper UK Housing Commission argues that the housing crisis cannot be solved with one lever. Weak buyer confidence restricts sales, while rising costs and static prices make consented projects unviable. Since 2020, building a new home has cost £76,000 more, with half of that increase attributed to regulation, policy and tax. Its plan links viability, demand, supply and renting: pause new regulatory burdens for three years; reform developer obligations; offer targeted shared equity for first-time buyers of energy-efficient new homes; create a National Planning Service; review Green Belt boundaries; and make higher-density development standard. For rental housing, it proposes lower stamp duty for Build to Rent, standardised Section 106 terms and a public programme using public land to deliver more social rent homes. CITB’s New Entrant Support Team celebrates milestone of over 13,500 apprenticeship starts CITB’s New Entrant Support Team has helped launch more than 13,500 construction apprenticeships since September 2022, supporting 7,230 employers and 3,925 existing apprentices. In 2024–25 alone, it supported more than 4,100 starts—over 12% of all construction apprenticeship starts in Britain. NEST helps employers recruit, retain and mentor new entrants, while navigating grants and funding. The milestone matters because the sector needs more than 41,000 additional workers each year. The focus is not only on getting people into training, but helping them build lasting construction careers that meet demand for modern building, retrofit and infrastructure skills. **Bios** **Ryan Jones - SLG Agency** For almost 20 years, Ryan’s focus has been on helping brands in the construction and manufacturing sectors tell their story. His career began in PR, working for global businesses across a variety of sectors, before opting to focus on construction and the built environment. In his role as Managing Director, Ryan works to ensure that SLG Agency continues to be one of the construction industry's leading specialist strategic and creative agencies, having seen its work recognised by the likes of Campaign, Marketing Week and The Drum in recent years. Ryan is regularly asked to speak at trade shows and events, and to contribute thought leadership pieces to trade media. He is also a member of several industry advisory boards, including Constructing Excellence and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce. His passion for the construction sector has seen him work with clients on CSR campaigns that tackle the sector’s public perception, culminating in him recently launching a not-for-profit called Deconstruction. **Peter Sumpton - buildDifferent** Peter is a construction–marketing strategist and co-host of *Construction Disrupted*. With two decades’ experience spanning manufacturers, contractors and agencies, he helps organisations swap scattergun activity for clear strategy, joined-up planning and measurable outcomes. His approach is practical and plain-spoken: cut the noise, focus on what moves the numbers, and build repeatable systems that teams can actually use. Having seen first-hand how unfocused tactics waste time and budget, Peter works with leaders to align commercial goals, customer insight and content so marketing supports delivery rather than distracting from it. Peter's passion lies in diagnosing organisations' marketing functions' capabilities and existing market, assembling what’s required to create a functional strategy, fit for purpose and scalable. Marketing should create value, not just cost, and Peter’s work is about making that the norm.