Podcast
Tue July 16 2024
A fortnightly podcast in which veteran construction industry journalists Bishop and Taylor have a natter about some of the week’s events in the UK construction industry, seeking meaning even where none may exist.
3rd May 2023
It has been a busy week for Bishop & Taylor: National Highways is preparing a diploma in integrated project delivery (IPD) that it expects its suppliers to sit; the Independent Review of Construction Product Testing has been published; and Persimmon has invested £25m in volumetric housing manufacturer TopHat.
19th April 2023
Bishop & Taylor discuss the cancellation of the smart motorways programme, Billington’s recruitment difficulties, GMI’s shadow board and heat pumps.
5th April 2023
Meriden MP Saqib Bhatti joins Bishop & Taylor to discuss HS2’s listening skills and community relations in the West Midlands. Also on the agenda are the £60m fine handed down to a demolition cartel and Balfour Beatty’s discovery that most battery-powered plant is not up to the job.
22nd March 2023
Bishop & Taylor discuss the recent Budget statement, including tax allowances (and perhaps how to exploit them), new additions to the Shortage Occupations List and the postponement of major transport projects. They also discuss developers that have not (or not yet, at time of recording) signed Michael’s Gove’s building remediation contract. And there’s an interesting new arrival in Vistry’s boardroom.
8th March 2023
Bishop & Taylor give two cheers to National Highways for choosing to repair a Scottish viaduct instead of simply filling it in; they discuss latest initiatives in the push for a national retrofit strategy; and they sympathise with a contractor stuck between a rock and a hard place.
22nd February 2023
Bishop & Taylor’s wide-ranging discussion in this episode takes in the 90-year-old Buy American Act, concrete made from seashells, problems with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete and what plant-hire companies want from the upcoming budget statement.
8th February 2023
Bishop & Taylor discuss a Supreme Court judgment on nuisance, the review of Compulsory Purchase Orders, and claims that HS2 is not as biodiversity-neutral as it thinks it is.
25th January 2023
Bishop & Taylor discuss Levelling Up fund allocation and changes to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme. They are then joined by John Allcoat, head of construction stats at the Office for National Statistics, who explains what he does and how he does it. Best of all, he has some good news…!
11th January 2023
Bishop & Taylor kick off 2023 with a look at the latest HSE statistics, including those relating to hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS); with the return of Andy Milner to Amey, they discuss boomerang CEOs; and they close proceedings with their views on internships.
14th December 2022
Bishop & Taylor look back on some of the highs and lows of 2022. But first there’s the week’s news to catch up on: new owners for Mick George and Jewsons; and a warning from fire chiefs about modern methods of construction.
