The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published its biennial report, setting out its key priorities for 2026 and detailing the significant progress made during 2025 under each of the CLC’s four strategic pillars: building safety; net zero, resilience and circular economy; people and skills; and next generation delivery.
Over the past year highlights include:
- Establishing the Construction Skills Mission Board to support the delivery of the £625m Construction Skills Mission, and developing over 40 competency frameworks through the Industry Competence Steering Group;
- Working closely with the Building Safety Regulator, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Health and Safety Executive to implement the Building Safety Act across the industry;
- Responding to the consultation on tackling late payment and to reform the practice of retentions;
- Growing the CO2nstructZero programme to involve over 300 companies;
- Continuing to embed the use of the Information Management Initiative Framework across the industry and Government.
As part of its 2026 strategy, the CLC has announced a major change in its strategic priorities. Following the successful launch of the Information Management Initiative in 2025, the ‘Next Generation Delivery’ priority has now been retired, and two new priority areas have been established: ‘Digitalising Planning and Building Control’ and ‘Business Model Reform’.
Isabel Coman, the Industry Sponsor for Next Generation Delivery, has stood done from her role, and two new Industry Sponsors will be appointed in the coming months. This will be alongside a formal process that will be run to appoint a new Deputy Co-Chair for the CLC.
Looking ahead, the CLC’s 2026 action plan focuses on delivering progress in relation to key issues for the industry.
These include:
- Net Zero, resilience & circular economy:
- CO2nstructZero: Align the CO2nstructZero Performance Framework and strategy with the Climate Change Committee’s 7th Climate Budget and embed it across industry.
- Green Construction Board: Enable and enhance procurement decisions to systematically identify and prioritise low-carbon solutions in infrastructure.
- Building safety: Working with industry and Government on the implementation of the Single Construction Regulator to ensure that the future regulation of the sector is effective and efficient.
- People and skills: Convene industry around the challenge of how we design and implement a digital skills passporting eco-system for the built environment.
- Digitalising planning and building control: Refocus the efforts of the workstream to prioritise progress on the digitalisation of the planning and building control systems, in partnership with MHCLG and wider industry stakeholders.
- Business model reform: Convene and facilitate engagement between the Government, key stakeholders and industry on recently announced legislative proposals to address late payments and abolish retention clauses in construction contracts.
- Health, Safety and Wellbeing: Publishing the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Action Plan in May 2026, followed by a Mental Health Action Plan and Joint Code of Practice in the summer providing advice to employers on creating a more supportive environment for employees.
In addition, work will continue under the digitalising planning and building control workstream to advance broader digital and data-led innovation across the sector — including the accelerated rollout of the CLC’s Information Management Initiative.
The report itself sets out detailed 2026 objectives and 2025 achievements for each of the CLC’s five core priorities and five industry working groups: Housing, Infrastructure, Domestic Repair, Maintenance and Improvement, Place, Commissioning and Assets and Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
The CLC will fully utilise its expanded board to maintain – and further strengthen – engagement with major Government departments that shape policy and outcomes for the industry.
Mark Reynolds CBE (Executive Chairman, Mace Group and CLC Co-Chair) said: “The CLC’s latest report highlights a successful and productive 2025 but also recognises that significant work still lies ahead if the sector is to meet its long term ambitions.
“What remains unchanged is the critical importance of collaboration between Government, regulators and industry — and ensuring that organisations of every size are part of that effort.
“By working together, we can accelerate progress in 2026 on the issues that matter most, from improving skills, safety and wellbeing to enhance industry performance and helping Government to achieve its growth objectives for housing, infrastructure, retrofit and remediation.”
Chris McDonald MP (Industry Minister and CLC Co-Chair) said: “This new report shows how vital the Construction Leadership Council’s work was to our construction sector in 2025, including establishing the new Mission Board to oversee £625m of skills investment, supporting delivery of the Building Safety Act, and growing CO2nstructZero to involve more than 300 companies.
“Construction is central to the UK’s growth and as Co-Chair of the CLC I’m proud to back its 2026 action plan, which will streamline regulation to boost productivity, improve health and safety for workers and double down on sustainability so the sector can play its part with our natural environment.”
