Blogs

So that nice Lord Mandelson has reached into his (our, actually) pockets and brought out a little something to help the poor beleaguered car industry out.

In the last recession, most of the headlines to do with housing were about people who couldn't afford to stay in their homes because the interest rates on their mortgages was taking payments far beyond their reach.

So, according to research by economists LEK, boosting the construction industry could prove the biggest way to boost the UK economy. That's because every £1 spent on construction leads to an increase in GDP of £2.84, as the spending not only creates construction output worth £1, but also stimulates growth elsewhere in the economy worth…

So Ecobuild's come and Ecobuild's gone. What are we left with, apart from sore feet, 'exhibition throat' and bags and bags of printed matter?

At the risk of sounding like one of those cheesy motivational speakers, there are some lessons to be learned for business from the latest round of sporting stories.

There's a bit of a row down on the south coast. Fareham Borough Council, in Hampshire has approved plans for an eco-town, which were submitted under the last government.

Imagine if you will, the scenario: the quiet calm of the home office is shattered by screams and curses from the next room. Has a mad axe-wielding murderer leapt through the window wreaking havoc on my nearest and dearest?

What a difference a couple of years makes.

A little information is a dangerous thing. And no-where is this more in evidence than in the arena of health and safety. At the risk of sounding all 'Daily Mail', there's an awful lot that gets done in the name of health and safety to ruin our fun/workplaces/chances of making a reasonably honest living.

When Sunday Times economics editor David Smith addressed THE Conference, the all-industry conference in Cyprus back in 2005, he did so during a period of unprecedented growth and prosperity for the UK construction industry.