Re:Construction

The Construction Index•www.theconstructionindex.co.uk

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A weekly podcast in which veteran construction industry journalists Bishop and Taylor have a natter about some of the week’s events in the UK construction industry, seeking meaning even where none may exist.

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To keep up to date with the latest construction news every day, visit www.theconstructionindex.co.uk.

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You can find the latest issue of The Construction Index magazine in WHSmith & independent newsagents UK wide - use our online store locator to find your nearest stockist today.

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Last refreshed: August 20th, 2025 at 7:00 AM ⓘ

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Episodes

33: From HS2 to Jaffa Cakes

How do you get from HS2 to Jaffa Cakes? Well, Bishop & Taylor get there via planning reform, Palestine and Britain’s biggest contractor that builds absolutely nothing.

Oct 14, 2020•40 min•Ep. 33

32: Wind Power, Diesel, Concrete and Cargo Bikes

Wind power is in the news this week, prompting Bishop & Taylor to focus on green matters. In this episode they also discuss a better way to end the red diesel rebate, cleaning up concrete and one contractor’s use of electric bicycles.

Oct 07, 2020•42 min•Ep. 32

31: Track & Trace, Carbon Offsetting and Rewilding

After a brief discussion about the NHS track & trace app that the construction industry has been encouraged to embrace, Bishop & Taylor talk to ecologist Dr Stephanie Wray of RSK Wilding about environmental mitigation, from carbon reduction to the nascent rewilding movement.

Sep 30, 2020•42 min•Ep. 31

30: Ratings, Ratings, Ratings

It’s all about the stars! Huge scepticism is required when reading online reviews, but they can still matter. Bishop & Taylor (4.5 stars) discuss the latest Glassdoor ratings for top contractors and a new app for rating asbestos removal operatives.

Sep 23, 2020•42 min•Ep. 30

29: Top 100, Tumbling Shares and Saving the Solent

Bishop & Taylor discuss highlights of the latest Construction Index UK Top 100 construction companies, as well as share price trends, and a new scheme to get Hampshire building again.

Sep 16, 2020•42 min•Ep. 29

28: Dogs, Chalk Streams and Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Taylor credits Bishop with raising demand for dogs, while Bishop credits Taylor with raising consciousness of the threat to chalk streams. Of greater relevance, however, is the use of a hydrogen fuel cell system to provide power for a pioneering construction project in Lincolnshire.

Sep 09, 2020•30 min•Ep. 28

27: Back in the Jug, Lessons from COVID and Truckless Truss

With the new school year starting, it’s a time of fresh beginnings; should you still work from home or return to the office? A Loughborough University study finds how well construction has adapted to the constraints of Covid-19. Meanwhile trade secretary Liz Truss appears to have no truck with the construction industry, shutting it out of her 11 trade advisory groups. It’s Bishop & Taylor time on Re:construction.

Sep 01, 2020•39 min•Ep. 27

26: Tideway, Acceleration and Square Holes

Bishop & Taylor discuss delays to the £4bn Thames Tideway project as well as the transport secretary’s new acceleration unit and a drill attachment that cuts square holes.

Aug 26, 2020•35 min•Ep. 26

25: Fit-out, Putin and the Versatile Brickie

Bishop & Taylor turn their attention to the contents of the August issue of The Construction Index magazine, and cover remarkably wide ground…

Aug 19, 2020•48 min•Ep. 25

24: Prefabs, Planning Reform and Carbon Offsetting

Bishop & Taylor are joined by structural engineer Kevin Lyons to discuss offsite construction. Our two regulars then also mull the government’s planning white paper and wonder whether contractors will be eager to pay plant hire firms a premium for carbon offsetting.

Aug 12, 2020•41 min•Ep. 24

23: Green Home Grants, Trustmark and Genoa’s New Bridge

This was the week that we learned more details of the £2bn Green Home Grants scheme, with the condition that only Trustmark accredited installers could be used; and the Genoa San Giorgio Bridge opened, less than two years after the old Morandi Brige collapsed. Bishop & Taylor reflect on it all.

Aug 05, 2020•37 min•Ep. 23

22: Brexit, Standards and HS2

With a no-deal Brexit on the cards, Bishop & Taylor discuss unresolved issues for the construction industry, including the future of product standardisation; and – with protests camps fighting a rear-guard action – they agree to disagree about HS2.

Jul 29, 2020•49 min•Ep. 22

21: Face Masks, Plan for Jobs & Tower Cranes

Bishop & Taylor discuss the need for face masks (both in life and on site), Rishi Sunak’s Plan for Jobs, and (after the fatal 8th July collapse in East London) tower crane safety.

Jul 15, 2020•42 min•Ep. 21

20: New Deal, CITB and Interserve FM

Bishop & Taylor discuss the Prime Minister’s Rooseveltian ambitions, the suspension of democratic accountability at the Construction Industry Training Board, and the sale of Interserve Facilities Management to Mitie. Read more on all these topics, and more, at www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news

Jul 01, 2020•44 min•Ep. 20

19: Job Losses, Export Finance, Plastic Problems and Magic Paint

In this episode Bishop & Taylor discuss industry job losses, how overseas contractors exploit UK state aid, construction’s plastic packaging problem and the remarkable claims of air-purifying paint.

Jun 17, 2020•46 min•Ep. 19

18: Post-Covid Recovery, Roads Ahead and Shrewsbury Pickets (Conspiracy, My Arse!)

Bishop & Taylor discuss the Roadmap to Recovery, the sudden flow of transport projects and the building workers (including TV’s Ricky Tomlinson) jailed nearly 50 years ago, whose convictions the Court of Appeal is now, finally, revisiting. Podcast, my arse!

Jun 03, 2020•44 min•Ep. 18

17: Restoration of Parliament, When Tiredness Kills & The Joy of Steam

Bishop & Taylor recap recent events in the UK construction industry, including this week: planned building works in parliament are under review, a company that allowed its workers to drive home tired has been in the dock and an old steam engine has been deployed to great effect on a decommissioning project.

May 20, 2020•33 min•Ep. 17

16: Opportunism, Drones & Batteries

This week Bishop & Taylor discuss the opportunities that some are finding in the health crisis, the use of drones in construction surveys and battery-powered machinery.

May 06, 2020•42 min•Ep. 16

15: Scaffolders, Consulting Engineers and Employee Ownership

In this edition, Bishop and Taylor discuss latest safety stats from the National Access & Scaffolding Confederation, Highways England’s smart motorways alliance and whatever happened to Britain’s consulting engineers? The one’s that aren’t safely in employee ownership, that is...

Apr 29, 2020•41 min•Ep. 15

14: Furlough, Supplies, Gypsum and Cladding

Bishop & Taylor discuss furloughed construction workers, moves to revive the supply chain, recycling gypsum and the stalled cladding replacement programme.

Apr 22, 2020•42 min•Ep. 14

13: HS2 and Firm Foundations

Bishop & Taylor briefly discuss the latest news on HS2 before welcoming Steve Hadley to their virtual studio – he’s the Managing Director of Central Piling and the new chair of the Federation of Piling Specialists.

Apr 15, 2020•38 min•Ep. 13

12: Confusing Signals, Field Hospitals and Augmented Reality

This week Bishop & Taylor discuss the latest mixed messages from Government on safe site operations, admire the heroic efforts of those getting field hospitals up and running, and have their interest piqued by the use of augmented reality to provide professional supervision to household DIY.

Apr 08, 2020•32 min•Ep. 12

11: #ShutTheSites, Urgent Works and Memorable Junkets

This week Bishop & Taylor discuss the continuing controversy about what sites should stay open, and the difficulties facing those that do. They also muse on the days when travel was easier, and press junkets enjoyed.

Apr 01, 2020•35 min•Ep. 11

10: The Lockdown and Working From Home

The lockdown has started and Bishop & Taylor chat about how the UK construction industry is responding to the Prime Minister’s order for all but essential workers to stay home. They also discuss working from home with expert input from our very own ‘Good Lady Professor Her Indoors’, Jacqui Bishop.

Mar 25, 2020•29 min•Ep. 10

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