Happy New Year to our Members
We’d like to wish all our members a very happy and successful New Year. Thank you for your continued support – we look forward to working with you throughout the year ahead.
Save the Date: SPRA Awards 2026
The SPRA Awards 2026 will take place on Wednesday 1st July 2026 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, bringing the industry together to celebrate excellence and recognise outstanding achievements across the sector.
SPRA is delighted to announce that award submissions are opening this week, giving members and industry professionals the opportunity to showcase their best projects, innovations and successes from the past year.
Tickets for the SPRA Awards 2026 will be available shortly, with further details on pricing and booking to be announced soon.
Mark your calendars and get ready to join us in Birmingham for a day of recognition, celebration and networking at one of the industry’s flagship events.
If you have any queries regarding the event, please contact us at enquiries@SPRA.co.uk
Next NexGen Meeting
NexGen is a working group focused on increasing awareness of single ply roofing, with the aim of engaging the next generation and promoting the wide range of career opportunities within the industry.
Our next meeting takes place on Monday 13th January at 9:30am.
The meeting is open to everyone who is interested in supporting this initiative.
Contact us on enquiries@spra.co.uk for more information.
SPRA Contractor Open Day at AccuRoof – Don’t Miss Out
Date: Wednesday 28th January 2026
Time: 10:15am – 1:15pm
Location: SIG Roofing, Harding Way, St Ives, PE27 3YJ
SPRA and AccuRoof are hosting a free Contractor Open Day for single ply roofing contractors, designed to provide valuable insights, updates, and practical knowledge to help you stay competitive in 2026.
Open to both SPRA members and non-members, this event is a great opportunity to:
- Connect with industry professionals
- Strengthen your technical knowledge
- Stay up to date with standards and best practice
What to Expect
- Five Essential Insights for Single Ply Roofing
Presented by Anthony Hogan, SPRA Technical Manager, sharing practical guidance to improve project quality and performance. - Preparing Your Team for the Future
Ronan Brunton from SPRA will cover competency requirements and training pathways to keep your workforce future-ready.
Reserve Your Free Place
Places are limited. Email enquiries@spra.co.uk to book.
UK Government Announcements on Fire safety
On Monday 22 December 2025, the UK government has published several reports following research on a variety of topics, including the following:
Fire safety: Solar photovoltaic panels on roofs
Research into the fire safety implications of installing photovoltaic panels on rooftops.
A literature review that examines the fire safety implications of installing photovoltaic (PV) systems, reviewing experimental evidence, incident data and existing regulatory approaches.
Researchers investigated how PV systems installed on roofs influence fire dynamics, introduce additional risks for roof constructions and affect firefighting operations.
The project aimed to identify gaps in current guidance to understand how PV system design and installation affect fire spread.
Fire safety: Compartment walls and roof junctions
Research into the fire performance of roof junctions, examining how roof design, insulation and fire stopping materials influence the spread of fire.
The research assesses the performance of fire-stopping details of the junction between compartment walls and three modern roof construction types in relation to Approved Document B (fire safety) and Building Regulations 2010.
Researchers examined how roof and wall constructions perform with different fire stopping materials and to assess their suitability for limiting fire spread at compartment boundaries.
It used these findings to provide evidence to inform future policy and guidance updates.
Fire safety: Trigger thresholds
Research on the trigger thresholds used in Approved Document B, including the height threshold for the ban on combustible materials in or on external walls.
The research assesses the current provisions related to trigger and threshold levels in Approved Document B (fire safety) and regulation 7(4) of the Building Regulations 2010.
The researchers reviewed whether the thresholds in the document are based on relevant and up-to-date evidence and provide designers with adequate guidance.
The project comprised two workstreams:
- workstream A reviewed all the trigger and threshold levels
- workstream B examined the height above which buildings should not include combustible external walls or cladding systems
The rest of the reports can be found on the Building Regulation page under Research and Statistics.
Build UK Update
Changes to CITB Funding
Ahead of the Christmas break, CITB announced significant changes to the grants and funding available to employers, which take effect from the 8th January. With the demand for financial support due to exceed the Levy paid by employers, apprenticeship grants will be maintained but there are wide‐ranging changes to other funding, including:
- Short course training grants have been removed, except for a limited number of specialist courses
- First Aid training is no longer funded
- Funding for new Level 7 long qualifications has been withdrawn
- Employer Networks are now the main route to funding for SMEs, with CITB match funding 50% of eligible courses
- Large employers will not be supported via Employer Networks after 31 March, with a new large employer fund to be introduced from 1 April.
Source: Build UK / CITB
Building Safety Regulator Update
Following the outcome of the inquiry by the House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee into the BSR, which highlighted ‘unacceptable delays’ in the BSR’s approval processes and the need for the BSR to be ‘proactive in making further changes’, the BSR has published updated guidance on submitting staged applications at Gateway Two.
The updated guidance expands the eligibility of staged applications to include single tower projects, alongside complex multiple tower developments. It confirms that stage one for single tower projects must complete the foundations, any basement level, and the structure of the ground floor level. The CLC has also published guidance on staged applications, which highlights that they should not be used for individual works packages as this can result in a lack of coordination and the risk of compliance issues. A full Gateway Two application is required for each stage of a staged application, along with a summary of subsequent stage(s) and the estimated start and end dates.
With the latest data on Gateway Two applications published by the BSR showing a continued rise in the number of decisions, the criteria used to review applications has been updated and now includes additional information on ‘Approval with Requirements’. This allows the BSR to approve an application where the design demonstrates substantive compliance with Building Regulations, subject to additional information being provided by a certain stage in the project.
The BSR has issued information on potential structural safety issues affecting reinforced concrete buildings constructed with ‘transfer slabs’. Building owners are advised to seek professional advice where a transfer slab shows visible signs of distress or there are specific concerns about the building’s condition and/or design.
Source: Build UK / BSR
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Latest
The Government has published its third quarterly progress report on implementing the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. It confirms that work has now been completed on another five of the 58 recommendations, with progress made in relation to the following key recommendations linked to the construction industry:
- Single Construction Regulator – The Government has set out its vision for a single regulatory system for buildings, products and professionals. The Single Construction Regulator Prospectus, which will be the focus of our next Building Safety call, is open for consultation until Friday 20 March. It will be followed in the spring by a White Paper on reforming the construction products regime and a call for evidence on a new overarching strategy for building environment professionals.
- Definition of HRB – The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has published its initial review of the definition of Higher‐Risk Building (HRB), which concludes that changing it would not be the ‘right course of action’ at this time, and this view is supported by the Government. The BSR has also set out plans for the ongoing review of the definition at least once a year, in conjunction with its duties under the Building Safety Act.
- Approved Document B – The Government will shortly launch a consultation on updates to Approved Document B (Fire Safety), including new provisions for evacuation lifts in residential buildings above 18 metres.
The next progress report will be published in February within the first annual report on implementing the Inquiry’s recommendations.
Source: Build UK / UK Gov
Shaping the Future of Construction (from Build UK)
An update from Build UK highlights that the Single Construction Regulator Prospectus aims to revolutionise regulation, competence, and culture across the construction industry. Find out more here.
Source: Build UK
New Planning Act
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025, with a number of the new measures coming into force with immediate effect. The new Act is key to meeting the Government’s targets for homes and major infrastructure, and Ministers will confirm in due course when the remaining reforms will take effect.
Open Doors Update
Visitor Booking Now Open!
Booking is now open for Open Doors 2026, and we are working with our network of partners to promote events to as many potential visitors as possible in the coming weeks. They currently have more than 160 events registered to take part across the UK from Monday 23 – Saturday 28 March, including major projects like Buckingham Palace, Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil, and Dundonald International Ice Bowl, Belfast.
Open Doors is a unique opportunity for the industry to showcase what it has to offer, and there are a number of simple things you can do to promote your events to young people and those looking for a change of career, including:
-
Post details outside the venue, on site hoardings and notice boards and we have produced a poster you can use
-
Invite the local community using our template:
- Careers leaders at schools and colleges – all secondary schools should list the contact details on their website
- JobCentre employment advisors – you can tag your local JobCentre Plus on social media
- Prison work coaches – Category D (open) prisons may visit on a ROTL (release on temporary license) basis
- Use social media to promote events more widely and show visitors what they can expect using the hashtag #OpenDoors26.
If you are not hosting an event this year, you can still help to promote Open Doors by sending details to your local school, college or community group, sharing them on social media, or speaking to any young people you know who are thinking about their next step.
Source: Build UK
CPA Update
CPA Weekly UK Economic and Construction Update
The latest weekly update can be found here it includes:
- ONS UK CPI Inflation (November 2025)
- S&P Global UK Construction PMI (December 2025)
- ONS UK Construction Wage Inflation (October 2025)
- Insolvency Service Construction Insolvencies (October 2025)
- HMRC UK Residential Property Transactions (November 2025)
- Bank of England UK Mortgage Approvals (November 2025)
- Nationwide UK House Price Index (December 2025)
The CPA’s State of Trade Survey for Q4 is now open for members to report on the state of trade in your materials or products sub-sector during the October-December period of 2025. The deadline is the end of Wednesday 14 January and we would encourage you to respond so that we can present a comprehensive view of our industry’s near-term performance. The survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CPASurvey25Q4. All responses are kept strictly confidential and results will be presented on an aggregate basis only.
The CPA’s Winter forecasts will be published on Monday 26 January. The Autumn Forecasts were published on Monday 27th October and can be found here.
Government Update
Warm Homes plan and Future Home Standards delayed
The UK Government has confirmed that its Warm Homes plan to improve the energy efficiency of hundreds of thousands of low-income households will not be published until January. The Warm Homes Plan was first announced last winter by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. The intention was for the full plan to be set out in late 2025, with many commentators hoping that it would accompany November’s Budget announcement. The Department for Energy Security and Net-Zero (DESNZ) has now confirmed that it expects to publish the Plan in January. It stated that the overall budget will remain the same, as will the grant level available under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. Regarding the Future Homes Standard The CPA’s understanding is that it will not be published before the warm homes plan; however, this has not been publicly confirmed by the government. The CPA will keep you updated as information becomes available.
EU Construction Products Regulation Work Plan
The EU has published its work plan for 2026-2029 for the Construction Products Regulation. Find it here.
The Single Construction Regulator Prospectus
The Single Construction Regulator (SCR) Prospectus has now been published by the HSE. This marks a significant milestone in reform of the built environment, following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations. The prospectus sets out our vision for a coherent, accountable regulatory system that prioritises safety, quality, and trust across buildings, products, and professions. It outlines how a new regulator will consolidate oversight functions, reduce fragmentation, and drive cultural change across the sector. You can read the full prospectus here. The CPA technical committee will lead our response to this publication.
The Single Construction Regulator Prospectus
The Single Construction Regulator (SCR) Prospectus has now been published by the HSE. This marks a significant milestone in reform of the built environment, following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations. The prospectus sets out our vision for a coherent, accountable regulatory system that prioritises safety, quality, and trust across buildings, products, and professions. It outlines how a new regulator will consolidate oversight functions, reduce fragmentation, and drive cultural change across the sector. You can read the full prospectus here. The CPA technical committee will lead our response to this publication.
Building Safety Newsletter
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is launching a new Building Safety Newsletter in the coming weeks. You can sign up to the newsletter here.
Building Safety Regulator E-Bulletin
The latest ebulletin from the regulator has been published with the following items included:
- Building control staged applications – updated guidance published.
- Criteria for validating, approving or rejecting building control applications.
Also updates from the government on the following: Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Government’s third progress report, The Single Construction Regulator prospectus and consultation, the BSR’s review of the higher-risk building definition, Fire engineering authoritative statement and next steps document. The E-Bulletin can be accessed here.
Building Safety Regulator – Ministerial Statement
The BSR has attracted some recent attention in parliament, including a Ministerial statement and in committees links to the statements, debates and committees can be found below.
Written Ministerial Statement
Grand Committee
House of Lords Debate
Source: CPA