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Increased Infrastructure Investment, Fiction or Reality?
over 8 years ago by Mike Kelly“We are the builders,” George Osborne claimed as he delivered his sixth Autumn Statement speech. But with infrastructure construction falling 5.4 per cent in the past five years, many remain unconvinced. The chancellor trumpeted £61bn of capital investment over the course of this parliament – a £20bn increase compared with the previous one. The biggest boost was to tra...
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Will additional funds pledged for Northern Powerhouse materialise?
over 8 years ago by Mike KellyChancellor George Osborne has claimed to be making the biggest effort for 50 years to close the north-south divide as he made a series of announcements recently to further his “Northern Powerhouse” plan. Transport for the North, the new body which has been set up to improve links across the region, has had its £10m a year budget extended from three years to five. Fol...
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Estimated $1tn annual shortfall in infrastructure spending!
over 8 years ago by Mike KellyThe World Economic Forum estimates a global need for $3.7tn in infrastructure investment each year. Despite this only an estimated $2.7tn is invested, mostly by governments. Apparently; from the US through Europe to the emerging world, there is a backlog of projects that are needed to drive growth, while institutional investors are desperate to find investments – like ...
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TransPennine gets green flag!
over 8 years ago by Mike KellyThe TransPennine Line railway electrification is back on line after the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, green flagged the project. It has been announced that Network Rail and the Department for Transport (DfT) plan a more ambitious electrification of the line between Stalybridge, Leeds, York and Selby. The new plan aims to significantly increase c...
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Engineering Job Market News – October 2015
over 8 years ago by Mike KellyJobless rate hits seven-year low! Employment in the UK rose to 22.77 million, up 140,000 on the quarter. Compared with one year previously, the total was 359,000 higher, of which 291,000 were full-time jobs. At 73.6%, the employment rate was at a record high. The Report on Jobs survey by Markit; for October, reported that growth in demand for staff in the Engineering s...
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Chancellor George Osborne pledges £100bn spend
over 8 years ago by Mike KellyAt the recent launch of the National Infrastructure Commission and promise; Chancellor George Osborne pledged to spend £100bn in this Parliament for new roads, rail, flood defences and other vital projects. He set out plans to ‘get Britain building’, saying that infrastructure will be at the heart of next month’s Spending Review. In the review the Chancellor is expecte...
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