New legislation targets unsafe cladding as housebuilding slump deepens
The Government has introduced the Remediation of Unsafe Cladding Bill to Parliament, aiming to accelerate the removal of dangerous cladding and hold those responsible for building safety failures to account.
The legislation will strengthen requirements for those responsible for unsafe buildings to identify and fix problems, with tougher enforcement measures intended to speed up remediation and protect residents.
Meanwhile, construction output fell for the fourth consecutive month in August, declining by -0.2% as a deepening housebuilding slump continued to weigh on the sector.
Output fell by -1% over the three months to August, with private housebuilding recording the sharpest decline, down -3.2% over the period and -1.9% in August alone.
The figures leave construction lagging behind the wider UK economy, which grew by 0.1% in August, while industry figures warned that high borrowing costs, rising development costs and uncertainty over demand continued to delay investment.
Developer and supply chain updates
Bellway increased housing completions by 10.8% to 9,695 in the year to July 2026, while revenue rose 13.6% to £3.16bn and underlying pre-tax profit increased 5.7% to £305.7m.
However, the housebuilder expects completions to fall to between 9,000 and 9,400 in 2027 as weaker customer demand, affordability pressures and a lower opening order book weigh on activity.
The company also warned that operating margins would come under further pressure from construction cost inflation, sales incentives and a greater reliance on bulk sales.
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Vistry’s chief executive of partnerships and regeneration, Stephen Teagle, is to retire next year as part of a planned succession process.
Catherine Raynsford of Legal & General Affordable Housing will succeed him, with the change forming part of the group’s leadership transition.