This week, so-called troublemakers (aka consultants) speak shocking words at a contractor鈥檚 breakfast event 鈥� and we find out something fruity
Catty
Last week, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) hosted a soiree in the House of Lords to mark the launch of a new construction licensing taskforce, which is made up of 11 different trade bodies. The new chair of the taskforce, former British Property Federation boss Liz Peace, told attendees: 鈥淚 spend my life herding cats, so I suppose I鈥檓 qualified.鈥�
In a jam
At the same launch, one of my hacks approached FMB chief executive Brian Berry. After several minutes he dared pose a question to which people might have been wanting an answer for years: 鈥淲hat, Mr Berry, is your favourite berry?鈥� The answer is raspberry 鈥� but it鈥檚 blackcurrant in jam and strawberries when consumed with cream. 鈥淚鈥檓 a man of nuance,鈥� Berry said. Talk about juicy gossip 鈥�
Cutting remarks
At a recent Mace breakfast event, the Spurs stadium builder launched a report on how construction can help society by modernising. 鈥淚鈥檓 not so sure I鈥檓 overly keen on the legislation idea,鈥� Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds, said 鈥� after Ramboll鈥檚 UK managing director Mathew Riley called for more of it. Hannah Vickers, chief executive of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering, added: 鈥淒o away with tier-one contractors and bring in consultants,鈥� provoking gasps from the audience. All Reynolds could do was lament the presence of 鈥渢roublemakers鈥� on the panel.
As I said 鈥�
After the latest revelations about Kier鈥檚 payment practices, detailed elsewhere in this magazine, reporters were hoping for a bit more introspection from the contractor. A spokesperson sent over a comment that was word-for-word identical to one Kier had issued eight months earlier after it was outed as a poor payer in a parliamentary inquiry last October. When this was pointed out, a spokesperson acknowledged a 鈥渟imilar鈥� statement may have been made before but added: 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want you to think that this isn鈥檛 something we put a lot of focus on.鈥� Right鈥�
Keep it under your hat
As my colleague surveyed the capital spread out below him from the 75th floor at the Landmark Pinnacle tower in east London鈥檚 Isle of Dogs, he made a mental note to buy his own PPE for future site visits after being urged to do so by a fellow visitor. What鈥檚 the advantage of having your own stuff, my colleague asked. 鈥淲ell, for a start, you don鈥檛 contract ringworm from a dodgy hard hat,鈥� came the rather glum reply. We are happy to point out that all the PPE supplied at the recent site visit was ordered in brand new.
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