Editor’s message and July/August 2017 magazine download

We are living in interesting times, politically and for the infrastructure sector, says Andy Walker in his editor's comment in the July/August issue of the Infrastructure Intelligence magazine.

Andy Walker
18 July 2017

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Click here to download the July/August 2017 edition of the magazine.

The phrase, “May you live in interesting times” is often thought of as a curse. However it has also referred to periods of history when great achievements and advances were made. So we can take the glass half empty or the glass half full approach to the outcome of the recent general election and the political and business uncertainty that has ensued. Let’s be positive though and look forward to the delivery of that infrastructure pipeline the country so badly needs.

Being positive means continuing to champion our industry in the corridors of power. Despite and maybe because of the current political uncertainty and the challenges of the parliamentary arithmetic, we have a great opportunity to make the case for infrastructure. We should grasp it with both hands and ensure that MPs and ministers hear our message loud and clear.

The dreadful Grenfell Tower fire has cast a shadow over the construction industry. Many people have died and without in any way prejudicing the ongoing public inquiry, it’s likely that the construction industry can expect that a very strong light will be shone on its working practices, procurement processes and how costs are allocated in a sector where ‘value engineering’ is often the norm. We take a look at some of those issues on page nine and will return to them in future issues and on our website.

Elsewhere in this issue, we take a look at diversity in the industry and how we can close the gender gap (p7), we look at the latest from the Northern Powerhouse (p5 and p18) and also examine the latest roads developments with a feature on Highways England (p10-11) and the government’s new transport strategy (p28-29).

We reveal the winners of the Consultancy and Engineering Awards in a special feature (p21-27) and there’s much more, including news of a new infrastructure delivery report that shows that we certainly are “living in interesting times”.

Enjoy the read and please keep sending us your feedback.

Andy Walker is the editor of Infrastructure Intelligence.

Click here to download the July/August 2017 edition of the magazine.