CIOB once again attended this year’s UK political party conferences, notably hosting events at both Labour and Conservative party conferences to engage with policymakers, parliamentarians and industry stakeholders on the issues shaping the future of the built environment.

With construction central to the Government and Official Opposition’s ambitions for housing, infrastructure and economic growth, the conferences provided an important opportunity to highlight the challenges facing the sector and discuss the changes needed to turn these ambitions into reality. 

CIOB hosted three events across the two party conferences, working in partnership to bring policymakers and sector representatives together to discuss the key issues affecting the built environment. CIOB also attended a range of other events, met with industry stakeholders and spoke with further education colleges about the barriers they face in developing the next generation of construction workers.

Labour Party Conference 2026 

CIOB’s President, Saul Humphrey and Chief Executive, Dr Victoria Hills attended this year’s Labour Party Conference which was characterised by a strong focus on economic growth, devolution and delivery. Construction featured prominently in discussions about housebuilding, clean energy and major infrastructure, alongside wider debates about employment, skills and regional economic development. 

The first conference under new Labour leader and Prime Minister Andy Burnham also saw considerable attention given to his approach to regional growth, including ‘Manchesterism’ and plans for further devolution. The Milburn Review and the challenge of getting more people into work, particularly young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), were also prominent themes. 

For CIOB, the conversations reinforced a clear message: the construction sector is ready to support the Government’s ambitions, but delivery will depend on having the skilled workforce, training capacity and business environment needed to make them achievable. 

During the conference, CIOB hosted two fringe events in partnership with organisations including the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) and the National House Building Council (NHBC).  

The first of these two events, the Construction Breakfast Reception, brought together the industry to discuss the state of the UK construction sector and the conditions needed to support its growth. 

Dr Victoria Hills joined Brian Berry, Chief Executive of FMB, and Amanda Martin MP, Chair of the Tradespeople All-Party Parliamentary Group, to explore how the industry can contribute to the Government’s priorities, from building 1.5 million homes to delivering clean energy and transport infrastructure. 

With SMEs making up the overwhelming majority of construction businesses, the discussion highlighted the importance of creating the right conditions for employers to invest, recruit and grow. Supporting these businesses will be essential not only to delivering the country’s building ambitions, but also to providing stable, well-paying jobs and career opportunities. 

CIOB also co-hosted a roundtable with FMB and NHBC, entitled ‘Building Skills: Tackling the Construction Skills Crisis’. Bringing together representatives from across construction, housebuilding, education, skills provision and local government, the discussion explored how to address the growing demand for skilled workers. 

A recurring theme throughout the conference was the gap between demand for construction training and the capacity to provide it. Colleges reported significant waiting lists for courses, while constraints on funding and facilities were preventing some institutions from expanding provision to meet demand. 

Addressing the skills crisis will require more than attracting new entrants to the industry. It also means investing in training capacity, strengthening links between employers and education providers, and ensuring that the skills system responds to the needs of local economies. As devolution gathers pace, closer collaboration between colleges, employers, local authorities and regional leaders will be increasingly important. 

Beyond our own events 

CIOB’s engagement extended beyond its own events, with Victoria Hills and Saul Humphrey attending discussions on housing, planning, economic growth and sustainability. 

These included a roundtable hosted by Re:State and Amazon on regulating for growth, a discussion organised by the Good Growth Foundation and NHBC on developing the workforce needed to deliver affordable housing, and a roundtable on planning and local democracy. The team also attended discussions on climate and nature, and the contribution of high-quality homes to local growth. 

Across these conversations, the message was consistent: the sector has the ambition and expertise to support the country’s growth, but this must be matched by practical action on skills, investment and the capacity to deliver. 

Conservative Party Conference 2026 

This year, Victoria Hills and CIOB’s policy and public affairs team travelled to Birmingham to better understand the Official Opposition’s plans for the built environment. Going into the conference much of the conversation centred around deregulation and the interventions that could be made at a policy level to speed up delivery, lower the cost of housebuilding and rethink the planning system from the ground up.  

While CIOB has advocated for caution when it comes to deregulation it was important to hear the conversations that took place in the halls of the ICC Birmingham and the potential industry reaction to policies that could once again fundamentally change housebuilding in England.  

During the conference the team was busy catching up with contacts, hosting meetings with new and existing stakeholders and attending fringe events to listen in on some of the prevailing policy discussions. Some of these fringe events included sessions on how we can power the AI revolution, how we can rethink the regulatory state and what needs to be done to join up qualifications and pathways for young people who need employment.  

CIOB was kindly chosen to represent the 10 partner organisations for the Enterprise Forum’s Business Reception this year where we came together to advocate for policies that enable good business growth, especially amongst SMEs. Dr Hills spoke alongside President of the Enterprise Forum, Lord Eric Pickles and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Andrew Griffith MP. Alongside speaking on behalf of the partnering organisations, Dr Hills presented the Shadow Chancellor with a folder of written briefings from partners presenting a list of the main challenges and opportunities facing the sectors represented at the reception.  

Looking ahead 

This year’s conferences provided valuable opportunities for CIOB to strengthen relationships across the political spectrum, raise the profile of construction and ensure that the realities facing the sector are reflected in policy discussions. CIOB will continue to make the case for the changes needed to support the sector and its members.  

For further information about CIOB’s party conference activity, or to get involved with our policy and public affairs programme, please contact [email protected].