There are more home owners moving out London than ever before with more than 280,000 moving away in 2015, an increase of 3% compared to 2014, a new analysis shows. The exodus is led by young people in their twenties and thirties, suggesting that rising house prices could be behind the decision, according to the research from multi-disciplinary property company Humberts. The report by ResiAnalytics for Humberts, which analyses the newly released data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), shows that 26% were aged 20 to 29 but this was less than the 30% recorded in 2014, while 23% were aged 30 to 39, up slightly from the 22% recorded in 2014. ‘The average cost of a London house today is almost double the English average at £470,000 compared to £224,000 and consequently we are seeing more and more people cashing in and moving out,’ said Jeremy Campbell-Harris from Humberts’ London Country House Department. He believes that those in their 20s probably struggle to afford to buy a home in London and those in their 30s who may have young children are looking for a bigger home and more peaceful surroundings. Birmingham, the UK’s second city where average house prices are less than half those in London, tops the list of most popular destinations for London leavers. Brighton and Hove, where house prices are similar to those in London, is also popular choice due to being commutable yet on the coast. In third place is Thurrock, followed by Epping Forest, Elmbridge, Bristol, Medway, Manchester, Dartford, Hertsmere, Luton, Reigate and Banstead, Slough, Canterbury, Welwyn Hatfield, Leeds, Sevenoaks, Nottingham, Spelthorne and finally Coventry makes up the top 20 destinations. The research also looked at regions which have grown in popularity over the past five years.  The East of England has seen a 4% increase in the number of people moving from London in 2015 compared with 2011. This is in contrast to the South East, which has seen a 3% fall in the number moving to the region. ‘The price of housing in London and the South East has risen so significantly over the years that Londoners are looking for new areas where their money can go further. Of all the regions in England and Wales, the East of England and the South West are the only two regions that have seen increases in the number of Londoners moving there,’ said Campbell-Harris. ‘Better broadband connections, better transport links and great value for money are three main reasons why these areas are proving to be increasingly popular amongst people from the Capital,’ he added.  Source link

Supermarket chain Tesco has been fined after health and safety breaches led to a worker falling through a skylight. The employee of Tesco Maintenance Ltd was lucky to suffer only minor injuries after falling 30 feet through a fragile skylight onto the trading area floor of the Tesco Liscard Express store in Liscard Village, Wallasey, on the 13th June 2014. Liverpool Crown Court heard that the worker was part of a team carrying out repairs to the roof and gutters of the store when the incident occurred. Tesco Maintenance Ltd and Tesco Stores Ltd were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found that no risk assessment or method statement had been produced prior to carrying out the work. The fragile skylights should have been identified and precautions taken but Tesco Maintenance Ltd had received no information relating to the fragility of the roof from their client Tesco Stores Ltd. Tesco Stores Ltd of Tesco House, Shire Park, Kestrel Way, Welwyn Garden City, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 10 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and was fined £200,000 with £712.70 costs Tesco Maintenance Ltd of Tesco House, Shire Park, Kestrel Way, Welwyn Garden City, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 9 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £300,000 with £624.60 costs. Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Chris Hatton said: “Contractors should treat all roofs with care and check before starting any work if they are fragile. I am shocked at a company the size of Tesco failing to take even basic precautions to prevent injury to its employees and further, to risk injury to the public” For further information on working at height visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg33.htm Notes to Editors: The Health and Safety Executive is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training, new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement hse.gov.uk More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: legislation.gov.uk/ Further HSE news releases are available at press.hse.gov.uk.     Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link

Rents in the British private rental sector increased by 2.4% in the 12 months to June 2016, down from 2.5% when compared with the year to May 2016, the latest index shows.   Rents increased by 2.5% in England and by 0.1% in Scotland but fell by 0.1% in Wales, according to the data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Rental prices increased in all the English regions over the year to June 2016, with rental prices increasing the most in the South East at 3.4%, but overall when London is excluded rents grew by 2%. The index report reveals that since January 2011 England rental prices have increased more than those of Wales and Scotland. The annual rate of change in Wales continues to be well below that of England and the Great Britain average. Meanwhile, rental growth in Scotland has gradually slowed to 0.1% in the year to June 2016, from a high of 2.1% in the year to June 2015. Rental prices in England show three distinct periods; increasing from January 2005 until February 2009, decreasing from July 2009 to February 2010, and increasing from May 2010 onwards. When London is excluded, England shows a similar pattern but with slower rental price increases from around the end of 2010 and since the beginning of 2012, English rental prices have shown annual increases ranging between 1.4% and 3% year on year. The largest annual rental price increases were in the South East with growth of 3.4%, unchanged from May 2016, followed by the East of England up 3.1%, down from 3.2% in May 2016 and London up 3%, down from 3.3%. The lowest annual rental price increases were in the North East at 0.8% and the North West at 1.2%, both unchanged when compared with May 2016 and Yorkshire and The Humber at 1.3%, up from 1.2% over the same period. Looking at data from the UK House Price Index over a longer period shows residential house price growth has typically been stronger than rental price growth for a number of years, with an average 12 month rate of house price inflation between January 2013 and May 2016 of 5.9%, compared with 2.1% for rental prices. The report suggests that inflation in the rental market is likely to have been caused by demand in the market outpacing supply. On the demand side, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) reported an increase in demand in June in their residential market survey, however, demand from prospective tenants decreased marginally in May according to the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). On the supply side, RICS reported that new landlord instructions fell slightly in June and ARLA reported that the supply of rental stock fell in May 2016 and was lower than in May last year.The report also suggest that with the UK economy continuing to grow and labour market conditions being robust in recent months by historic standards with employment at a record high and unemployment low at 4.9%, confidence is likely to remain high. While pay grew by 2.2% in the three months to May 2016 compared with the same period last year, continuing a revival of real earnings growth, it points out that rental prices have continued to grow at a slightly faster rate than real wages in recent months. Source link

Gas and heating engineers are Britain’s most trusted tradespeople, a survey has revealed Published:  21 September, 2016 More than one in five UK homeowners opted for gas and heating engineers as the nation’s most trustworthy tradespeople in the 2016 poll, released by HomeServe during Gas Safe Register’s Gas Safety Week. Electricians rated second among more than 2,000 UK homeowners questioned in the OnePoll survey, followed by plumbers, painters and decorators, landscape gardeners and joiners. Trustworthiness was the most important attribute expected of tradespeople by homeowners – with honesty, reliability, high quality workmanship and qualifications also ranking highly in the study. “Before we let tradespeople have access to our homes, often for a number of hours, we obviously need to be completely confident we can trust them to do the job with competence and honesty.” said Greg Reed, HomeServe’s chief marketing officer. “Hundreds of our engineers are working in homes across the UK every day, so we know how important this is to our own customers when they turn to us for help.” In total, 85% of homeowners who responded in the study deemed qualifications and accreditations to be essential ingredients for choosing their trusted tradespeople. All of HomeServe’s engineers are Gas Safe registered. Jonathan Samuel, chief executive at Gas Safe Register, added: “Having any kind of work done can be stressful, and knowing that the person who is undertaking work is a suitably qualified professional like a Gas Safe registered engineer is a great help.” Source link

The Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) and the Network Innovation Competition (NIC) are in line for an overhaul as Ofgem confirms an in-depth review of the funding mechanisms over the summer. In an open letter to industry the regulator said the review will look at whether “substantive changes” are needed. It will publish its decision by the end of the year, so the changes can be effective for the 2017 innovation competition. The letter follows recently published responses to Ofgem’s consultation, launched in December looking at the future of the NIC and NIA. Several respondents said the NIC is stifling innovation by not making provision for experimental projects to fail. There were also calls for more flexible rules on intellectual property rights. A further consultation will be held in the autumn to examine any proposals which arise from the review, as well as the amount of money which will be available through the electricity NIC. The review will also examine the benefits derived from the Low Carbon Networks Fund (LCNF), which the NIA and NIC replaced. Consultancy firm Pöyry has been appointed as an independent evaluator to carry out the review. Its findings will form the basis of any proposals to amend the governance arrangements. Source link

Calling all ceiling installers! Win a fantastic weekend for two in Monte Carlo – home of the racing world’s rich and famous! In June, July, August and September 2016 there will be a different, online racing competition each month, promoting our competitive and affordable stocked ceiling tiles and grid. Watch the video then answer a simple question and every month you could win a thrilling Supercar driving experience for two people. Better still, all entries from the four months will then be entered into our final draw in October to win a fantastic weekend for two in Monte Carlo – home of the racing world’s rich and famous! Watch the monthly races at www.rockfon.co.uk/win and enter before midnight at the end of each month to be in with a chance of winning. Final closing date for entries is 30th September 2016.Try for yourself the winning formula of ROCKFON stocked tiles this summer. Made from stone wool, ROCKFON® Artic™, ROCKFON® Tropic™ and ROCKFON® Logic™ tiles, when installed with Chicago Metallic® grid, make a formidable team if you’re looking for high quality, competitively priced tiles and grids.See how ROCKFON Artic undercuts the competition. An economic, popular tile for general areas, it is easy to handle and cut on site without mess or wastage.Watch how ROCKFON Tropic outsmarts the competition. An attractive smooth white tile, providing entry level Class A sound absorption, this tile replaces the previous ROCKFON Alaska range.ROCKFON Logic wipes out the competition with its wipeable surface and is an easy-to-cut alternative to vinyl-faced gypsum.The strong and reliable Chicago Metallic grid is quick to install and locks into place with a reassuring “click”. Install it with our ceiling tile ranges and the system is warranted for 30 years.Available widely at distributors across the UK, call them today or visit our website at www.rockfon.co.uk/win. Winner will be drawn at random. Terms and Conditions apply.      Source link

Category: Construction Industry Today | Subscribe to Construction Industry Today Feed Published Tue, Apr 5th 2016 One of Crumlin’s oldest established businesses, the sawmill on the Croespenmaen industrial Estate, is continuing to benefit from investment by leading UK timber importer, Newport based Premier Forest Products.  Posted via Industry Today. Follow us on Twitter @IndustryToday One of Crumlin’s oldest established businesses, the sawmill on the Croespenmaen industrial Estate, is continuing to benefit from investment by leading UK timber importer, Newport based Premier Forest Products.  Mill Timber Direct, the sawmill’s new retail outlet store on the site, was recently opened in premises right next to the mill itself. The new shop offers an extensive range of the sawmill’s timber products including fencing, decking, sleepers, crafted wooden gates and robust wooden garden furniture, as well as equestrian jumps, panels products, structural timber and a host of related and ancillary products.  Up until now, Mill Timber Direct has relied mostly upon customers collecting their requirements, but as of last week the company can now offer a full delivery service within a 25 mile radius of the branch.  Premier has invested in a new Citroen Relay 3513 with 4.2m drop side, enabling them to deliver many of the company’s most popular products.  Adrian Hovey, Manager at Mill Timber Direct said: “We are delighted to announce this new delivery service. Historically, customers have collected goods from the mill’s retail offering here but now, with the fully developed new store, a hugely increased product range and the means to deliver directly to our customers, we can make the mill’s fantastic products readily available to many more customers. “Our range of eco friendly wooden gates and fencing are perfect for the upcoming spring/summer season, especially for those wishing to have fencing products delivered direct to their gardens.”   Source link

Landmark asbestosis ruling is good news for sufferers Published:  29 July, 2016 In a landmark asbestosis case, The Court of Appeal ruled today that asbestosis sufferers could be entitled to proportional compensation from as low as 2.3% from negligent employers, based upon the number of years worked.  The historic ruling confirms that proportional compensation is applicable even if the employer’s overall contribution to the condition was minimal and the entitlement was as low as 2.3%. The ruling relates to retired electrician, Mr Albert Carder, who was exposed to asbestos whilst working at Exeter University. Although most of his asbestos exposure occurred earlier in his career, Mr Carder’s lawyers, Moore Blatch, calculated that his employment at the university contributed 2.3% toward his asbestosis. The Court of Appeal today upheld the calculation and judgement made by The High Court in July 2015 that Mr Carder was entitled to compensation. But at the time Exeter University’s insurers appealed, arguing the proportion of the exposure was minimal and had made “no discernible difference to his condition”. Moore Blatch asbestos disease lawyer John Hedley, representing Mr Carder comments: “This decision is very important and will influence other asbestos cases. Whilst there is a long established principle around minimal contributions to asbestos exposure by employers, this case helps define what minimal actually means. We can confidently say this contribution can be as low as 2.3%. While the compensation is not substantial, it will help Mr Carder and the ruling will help many other people who are in a similar position.” Mr Carder said: “It’s a huge relief for this case to have finally settled and to also know that I can return to court, should my condition deteriorate, which is of great comfort to me and my family.When I started my career asbestos was thought to be such a wonderful thing; unfortunately we were not made aware of the dangers.” Mr Carder’s overall damages from his total exposure to asbestos were assessed at approximately £67,500, with the university’s contribution confirmed to be £1,713.   Source link