黑洞社区

Former chief construction adviser Paul Morrell has spoken of his 鈥渕assive frustration鈥� at the failure of the industry to agree a co-ordinated way to communicate with government during his tenure in the post.

In the first of a three-part interview with 黑洞社区 magazine, Morrell said he 鈥渄idn鈥檛 understand鈥� the position of the UK Contractor鈥檚 Group, which represents the biggest contractors in the industry, which has said that all communication with government should be done via its joint venture with the CBI, the CBI Construction Council.

The UKCG effectively blocked moves to institute a revamped Strategic Forum as the main route for industry to talk to government, by making it clear it would not support any new body that it felt duplicated the work of the CBI Construction Council. Morrell said he accepts the CBI Construction Council is a valid route through which the industry could lobby the government to commission more construction work.

However, he said there also needed to be a separate forum for the government to discuss with industry reforms designed to make the industry safer, more effective and better quality.

Asked if he was frustrated with the role of the UKCG, Morrell said: 鈥淥f course it鈥檚 a frustration when you want to talk about an integrated industry, and the integrator chooses not to participate. That鈥檚 a frustration. And it鈥檚 one I don鈥檛 understand.

He said it was damaging in terms of the industry鈥檚 relationship with politicians. 鈥淢ore than one minister has said to me, 鈥渋f I want to talk to the industry, where do I find it?鈥� It鈥檚 a massive frustration of ministers, [when] they can鈥檛 find an industry to have a conversation with.鈥�

Stephen Ratcliffe, chief executive of UKCG said: 鈥淭his is Paul鈥檚 view and it鈥檚 well known to UKCG. We have had extensive dialogue with him but it鈥檚 not the view of the UKCG member companies.鈥�

鈥淲e spent the last four years building an effective voice through the CBI and we don鈥檛 see a need for another body. That鈥檚 not to say we don鈥檛 talk to the other bodies.鈥�

Ratcliffe said that UKCG鈥檚 members were not prepared to pay twice for the same thing.

Later Morrell speaks out on specialists concerns over abuses by main contractors