Construction bankruptcies fall to their lowest point since 2022, tradespeople get less than five hours of sleep a night, and small housebuilders shouldn't need planning permission
Construction insolvencies in the first half of the year dropped to their lowest point since 2022.
According to the Insolvency Service, 3,805 building firms shut down between July 2025 and June of this year — a 5% improvement over the same period last year.
Although the figure remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, it suggests that the current Middle East conflict is yet to have a long-term impact on construction bankruptcies.
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Hull has been named the UK’s hardest-working city, with 36% of its tradespeople leaving home before 5am.
The survey from Vanaways indicates that many tradies survive on less than five hours’ sleep a night — well below the NHS-recommended levels.
Plumbers were identified as the earliest rising trade, with half of them leaving home before 5 in the morning.
Painters and decorators were the most sleep-deprived, averaging just 4.7 hours of rest.
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Small housebuilders should be freed from planning permission altogether when building a ‘handful of homes’, claims a Liberal Democrat spokesperson.
Gideon Amos, MP, also threw his support behind the FMB’s campaign to licence the construction industry.
The trade body estimates that cowboy builders have cost consumers over £14 billion over the past five years.
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