The new CBI Construction Council has met for the first time this week.

The newly-formed CBI Construction Council has met for the first time this week, and will put forward its plans to fast-track certain public sector projects to the Treasury in December, in order to counter the effects of the downturn.

The new CBI superbody consists of 24 top bosses from all sectors of the construction industry. Its set out its strategic agenda at its inaugural meeting on Wednesday 29 October, led by Chairman John McDonough, also Chief Executive of Carillion.

McDonough said: “Our view is that the government must not lose value for money, but they should employ where they can. The Olympics will employ 35,000 people. Network Rail is investing billions, BAA is investing billions, Transport for London is investing billions. We cannot dream up a new project from nowhere.”

As the third CBI super sector group – joining the financial services and manufacturing councils – the Construction Council has been created to give a single voice to the full breadth of construction business interests from main and specialist contractors to house builders, materials companies and plant hirers.

The body plans to meet four times a year and currently includes representatives from the housebuilding, specialist and consultancy sector. It is in the process of recruiting members from small and medium-size companies in order to balance the interests of the industry in both the size of firms represented and regional spread.

The first meeting brought up seven main issues that the Council will focus on in the upcoming months:

• Raising the profile of the industry - why does construction matter? Are we clear about what we do?
• Getting better strategies and discussion with government.
• Maintenance of government capital spend, especially for PFI and PPP projects, and to sustain the current construction agenda.
• Continuous improvement in collaborative partnerships etc.
• Liquidity and the availability of credit.
• Training and skills.
• Planning for major projects.

For more information and a list of the 24 members, visit: www.cbi.org.uk