Women continue to be very underrepresented in council maintenance roles across the UK, with only three metropolitan district councils employing more women than men in these types of jobs. This is according to a freedom of information (FOI) request made by builder’s merchant Travis Perkins, which also revealed that the majority of local authorities surveyed had recruited more men than women in these roles over the past three years. In the 24 responses of the 36 metropolitan district councils asked, many councils do at least appear to be making efforts to increase female representation though. Number of women employed in manual or maintenance roles Liverpool City Council, Manchester City Council and Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council are the only three councils who responded to the FOI which currently have more women in manual or maintenance roles than men. There are 119 women out of a total of 153 employees in these types of jobs at Liverpool City Council, representing a 77.78 per cent split in favour of women. Manchester City Council has 1,535 women out of 2,283 total members of staff (a 67.24 per cent split) and Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council 608 women out of 976 overall employees (a 62.3 per cent split). On the other end of the scale, North Tyneside Council only has 14 women in manual or maintenance roles out of 587 employees in total – a 2.39 per cent split. Sunderland City Council (eight women out of 323 overall members of staff, representing a 2.48 per cent split) and City of Wolverhampton Council (ten women out of 311 employees in total) do not fare much better in this part of the FOI. Number of new hires which were female over last three years The numbers are a bit more appealing when councils were asked how many women they had hired into manual or maintenance roles in the past three years, as seven local authorities revealed they had recruited more women than men during this period. Liverpool City Council again come out on top when these statistics were analysed, with 17 of the 21 new starts in the last three years being women – an 80.95 per cent split in favour of women. The other councils to have recruited more women than men recently are as follows: However, a total of 16 councils which responded to the FOI request had recruited more men than women into manual or maintenance roles over the three-year period analysed. North Tyneside Council (five female new starts out of 162 total employees in the past three years – a 3.09 per cent split) and Sunderland City Council (again five female new starts but this time out of 130 employees overall in the last three years – a 3.85 per cent split) have shown particularly minimal progress when looking to get more women into manual and maintenance roles.   Are councils encouraging recruitment, retention & representation of women in manual or maintenance roles? An encouraging aspect of the FOI request is that 13 of the 24 councils which responded said that they had initiatives, policies or programmes in place which look to encourage more women to be recruited into manual or maintenance roles at the local authority. These schemes also aim to better retain female members of staff once they are in these types of jobs. Targets and strategies designed to increase the representation of women are also setup at ten of the local authorities surveyed. Efforts being made include: Natalie Ashcroft HR Business Partner at Travis Perkins and also member of the D&I board, commented: “Travis Perkins is always challenging ourselves, our colleagues and our peers on the gendered imbalance that still exists within our industry. Creating an inclusive environment where everyone belongs is an important message that we want to put across. “Our FOI request has shown some positive steps in the number of councils which have recruited more women than men into manual or maintenance roles in recent years. There appears to be a lot of effort being made by various local authorities to encourage more women to be recruited, retained and represented in these types of jobs. “However, more needs to be done. Only three of the councils who responded to our FOI have more women in the roles focused on than men, with many local authorities admitting they do not have any specific policies, initiatives, programmes or targets which could change this underrepresentation.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Chapmanbdsp, an independent design consultancy, specialising in building services engineering and environmental design is pleased to announce Riccardo Zara as Director of Sustainability and Building Physics, effective immediately. This appointment underpins the firm’s strong commitment to environmental responsibility. Riccardo Zara brings with him over 15years of experience in environmental management and sustainable engineering practices. Having begun his studies in Italy as a structural engineer and then completed his master’s degree in Sweden as an environmental and sustainability consultant, his early career was focused on building services design, building physics, and decarbonization strategies. He has since gained valuable experience in building services particularly in mechanical engineering as well as developing skills in strategic team management and business development in recent years. Passionate about creating an inclusive working environment, as well as focused on technical excellence, Riccardo has experience of working with world leading architects on cutting-edge building projects in sectors ranging from arts and culture to life sciences, commercial, residential, and industrial. Ray Upjohn, chapmanbdsp Chief Executive says, “We are delighted to welcome Riccardo Zara to our leadership team. His appointment comes at a crucial time within our change management programme as we continue gearing for growth. Riccardo brings exceptional experience and vision that will help us deliver on our ambitious sustainability objectives while creating additional value for our clients. The Board and I look forward to working with him.” Commenting on his appointment, Riccardo Zara adds, “The engineering sector has a pivotal role to play in decarbonisation and creating resilient infrastructure. I’m excited to join chapmanbdsp because of its strong technical foundation. That kind of deep knowledge is crucial to fully understanding and tackling the complexity of sustainability in the building environment.” This appointment represents another step in chapmanbdsp’s journey towards becoming the industry leader in sustainable engineering solutions, supporting clients in meeting their own environmental objectives whilst creating lasting positive impact for communities and the planet. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals

Landsec has appointed global media professional Alice Webb as Chief Executive Officer of MediaCity in Salford, reinforcing its ambition to position the destination as the UK’s leading hub for media, creativity and innovation. In this newly created role, Alice will lead both MediaCity and dock10, the UK’s leading television facility. Bringing these two brands under one unified leadership reflects Landsec’s commitment to a more joined-up approach across its media and studio operations, positioning MediaCity to thrive in an increasingly integrated and dynamic media landscape. Alice will be responsible for shaping and delivering a long-term vision that reinforces MediaCity as the home of future media – supporting new forms of content creation and digital innovation, and creating long-term value for Salford, Greater Manchester, and the wider region. She joins Landsec in September 2025 from Universal Music Group, where she served as the founding CEO of Mercury Studios, the group’s global film and TV production and distribution company. Before that, she held senior leadership positions at the BBC, including Director of Children’s & Education, overseeing CBeebies and CBBC – two of the UK’s most iconic children’s media brands. Earlier in her BBC career, Alice served as Chief Operating Officer of BBC North, directing the broadcaster’s landmark relocation to MediaCity in 2011. The move brought over 2,000 employees to Salford and cemented MediaCity’s place as a nationally significant centre for media production and innovation. Alice will formally take up the role in September 2025. As part of this transition, Mark Senior, who has served as CEO of dock10 since 2012, will step down on Alice’s arrival and take on an ongoing advisory role. Mike Hood, Chief Operating Officer at Landsec, said: “Alice’s appointment is a major milestone in the evolution of MediaCity. Her proven leadership in the media sector and ability to deliver large-scale transformation make her the ideal person to lead MediaCity and dock10 into the future together, under a bold new vision. “As we expand MediaCity into a hub for media, creativity, and innovation, uniting property and production under one leadership will unlock even greater value for our partners, tenants, and communities. We’re excited about what’s ahead.” Alice Webb added: “I’m delighted to be joining Landsec and returning to lead a community with a proven track record of creative ambition but with so much potential ahead of it too. Landsec’s commitment to that potential is compelling and I’m excited to pick up the reins and lead MediaCity into its next chapter. We have a very bright future of media, innovation, growth and creativity ahead of us. I can’t wait to get started later this year.”   MediaCity: A Destination for Future Media Located on 37 acres of waterfront at Salford Docks, MediaCity is home to more than 250 media, tech, and creative businesses. Landsec is investing in its long-term future – following the acquisition of the final 25% stake in November 2024 -with plans to expand the estate to 60 acres, delivering around 3,000 new homes and 800,000 sq ft of additional commercial space. As the UK’s leading media and creativity hub, MediaCity will serve as a launchpad for companies across all sectors that use media, content, and technology to communicate, innovate, and grow. Its next chapter will be defined by collaboration, co-location, and creativity at scale – a place for pioneers shaping the future of every industry. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals