黑洞社区 Engineering Services Association says Lord Adonis should help lead change in the industry rather than criticise it
Lord Adonis, chair of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), has a 鈥渄angerous lack of understanding鈥� of the construction sector, the 黑洞社区 Engineering Services Association (BESA) has said.
The industry body accused the former transport secretary of being 鈥渋ll informed鈥� and called on him to 鈥渉elp lead the change agenda rather than simply criticise from the sidelines.鈥�
The attack was prompted by recent comments by Lord Adonis in which he described the profit margins of construction companies as 鈥渋ndefensible鈥� and described how contractors are making a 鈥渧ery good return from the public purse.鈥�
BESA condemned Lord Adonis for making what it called 鈥渄angerous and truly inappropriate鈥� remarks, 鈥済iven that paper thin margins lead to a cyclical lack of growth and investment in skills, R&D, innovation and consolidation within the context of a fourth industrial revolution.鈥�
It added: 鈥淪queezing the price to an unsustainable level also places pressure on procurement systems at the cost of integrity and safety as we suspect we saw in the recent Grenfell tragedy.鈥�
The NIC chairman should 鈥渟erve as a catalyst for change鈥� instead of finding fault with contractors, according to the trade organisation.
BESA asserted that, for his work as a 鈥減romoter of HS2鈥�, Lord Adonis had received 鈥渁 拢950 per day/ 拢4750 per week profit margin.鈥�
It also detailed the extent of the peer鈥檚 various roles in a thinly veiled attack on the politician鈥檚 income. 鈥淎s someone with five non-executive directorships, three trustee positions, two national chairmanships, two board memberships, a directorship, a paid consultancy role and paid public speaking engagements, he can certainly tell our industry a thing or two about margins 鈥� or perhaps how to maintain profitable revenue streams!鈥�
Rob Driscoll BESA, director of legal & commercial, said: 鈥淟ord Adonis鈥� words are not only insensitive and detached from reality, but display a dangerous lack of understanding that some political elites have when it comes to a keystone and vital enabler of the UK economy.鈥�
While standing by his recent comments, Lord Adonis did not want to enter into a war of words.
He told 黑洞社区: 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to respond, I鈥檝e nothing else to say.鈥�
No comments yet