Construction professions unite to tackle Brexit challenge

In a sign that industry organisations representing construction professionals are coming together to develop a united response to the challenges of Brexit, members of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) met this week to discuss the opportunities and challenges posed by the UK’s decision to leave the EU. High on the agenda was the need to work collaboratively to maximise opportunities and deal collectively with the challenges.    

Member organisations at the meeting agreed to provide policy input and support to the working groups established by Sir John Armitt with support from the ICE; and to other initiatives being developed by the Royal Academy of Engineering, the ACE, RIBA and RICS.

One area discussed was to use the wide database provided by the CIC membership of professional bodies in the built environment to gather data and information through regular surveys. Members also agreed to collect and disseminate data and information of value to the built environment professions and to share information amongst other professions.

To help with this, the CIC has launched the first issue of BREXIT Digest, to be published regularly for its member organisations and their member companies. The digest is a round-up of the latest news and views about Britain’s withdrawal from the EU and how this impacts upon the built environment professions.  The objective is to share information to ensure a better collective understanding of the key issues facing the industry.

CIC chief executive, Graham Watts, said:  "In the five weeks since the referendum, the leading professional bodies have been proactive in providing policy leads and briefings on the likely impact of Brexit.  CIC can add value to that activity by supporting emerging consensus policy lines; acting as the hub for sharing information; and using the extensive network of the professional bodies to gather data and information". 

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering is maintaining a useful Brexit hub on its website which contains a wealth of information about the current state of play and what it all means for the industry. Click here for more information.