Stuart Green

MoJ owes us £20m after contractor ISG's collapse, say suppliers - BBC News Suppliers say millions are owed despite the government promising to use protected accounts.

Important story here. It’s ironic that the client involved is the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ). What happened to all those nice words in the Construction Playbook? www-bbc-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc....

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Author Philip Pullman calls on government to act over 'wicked' AI scraping The writer of the trilogies His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust wants copyright laws changed.

Please add my name to those complaining about ‘wicked’ AI scraping. Check if your publications appear in the sesrchable database in the replies below www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Unfortunately the rise won’t address the funding gap from 2012. It therefore preserves the current situation rather than reverses it. Expect plenty more headlines about universities struggling financially

Palace likely to face questions about what it knew in Andrew scandal Will there be pressure on the Palace to reveal any information they hold on Prince Andrew and Epstein?

Palace likely to face questions about what it knew in Andrew scandal. Let’s hope it doesn’t disrupt their good form in the Premier League. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Universities to deliver better outcomes in return for full fees Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper to boost opportunity for disadvantaged students, hold universities to account and put sector on firm financial footing.

University tuition fees to rise in line with inflation for the next two academic years. Legislation will then enable automatic increases to fee caps in future years in line with inflation but only for institutions that meet tough new quality thresholds. The game is afoot!

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Indeed.

As Andrew gives up titles, what difference will it really make? Prince Andrew has lost his titles - but will much of his life remain the same and will it stop the negative headlines?

Persona non-garter - brilliant www.bbc.com/news/article...

Energy efficiency installations under the Energy Company Obligation - NAO report Weak controls and oversight blamed for faulty home installations under energy efficiency scheme, affecting tens of thousands of households.

Hugely shocking report from NAO on ECO energy efficiency installations. How many more such scandals do we have to suffer before we recognise that we have a serious problem with industry regulation? www.nao.org.uk/reports/ener...

Five UK universities tell staff they can’t afford pay rises Negotiations over whether to honour 1.4 per cent increase ongoing at several other institutions amid financial crunch

Would you choose to send your sons/daughters to one of these universities? The list will be significantly longer next year, and even more so the year after www.timeshighereducation.com/news/five-uk...

Thousands of homes with botched eco insulation 'must be fixed' Insulation programmes costing billions of pounds have led to widespread problems with damp and mould.

Unintended consequences strike again. Yet another scandal of the unregulated economy. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What Adam says…

Delighted to finally get my hands on The Hillforts of Iron Age Wales by @drtobydriver.bsky.social Blimey, it’s a handsome book. No sticky fingers allowed…

Making Sense of Construction Improvement Making Sense of Construction Improvement provides a critical evaluation of the construction improvement debate from the end of the Second World War through to the modern era. The book offers unique in...

Book currently on offer at £38.39 direct from publisher. Bargain. www.routledge.com/Making-Sense...

Thousands more university jobs cut as financial crisis deepens University workers will vote on national strike action this month over a 1.4% pay offer made in the summer.

And now the UK university funding crisis makes the lead headline on BBC news. Please be sure this is not just about higher education, it’s also about the UK’s research and innovation ecosystem. The situation gets worse every month with no end in sight.

Sussex housing projects halted as firm files for administration Boutique Modern is the contractor on housing projects in areas including Lancing and Eastbourne.

If a contractor files for administration midway through a project the client ends up with a big problem. If a modular contractor files for administration the client ends up with a massive problem. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Further to my recent post from the British Library, here’s a follow-up from Birmingham Central Library. Any excuse to visit a library is good enough for me…

I defy anyone to watch this video and not feel a little bit happier #FestiniogRailway

Starmer to unveil digital ID cards in plan set to ignite civil liberties row ‘Brit card’ already facing opposition from privacy campaigners as government looks for ways to tackle illegal immigration

For sectors such as construction the apparent assumption that the labour market is characterised by standard forms of employment is at best misplaced. There are many good reasons for reforming the gig economy. But this has been true for decades.

Yes, it would be easier. But Tier 1 contractors employ very few workers on major construction sites. So would they police employment practices throughout the supply chain? This would be a massive overnight change with many knock-on consequences. If we don’t ask them to do this what’s the point?

Every adult in Britain to require new ‘Brit Card’ ID The prime minister will announce his backing for the scheme in a speech on Friday

So will Tier 1 contractors be expected to check the digital ID cards of all those working on major construction sites? Unregistered workers will be driven even further into the twilight zone. The risk of unintended consequences is high. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

One of the best things about doing research is I get to hang out in cool places like the British Library @britishlibrary.bsky.social

University boss calls for major review of Scottish higher education Sir Anton Muscatelli calls for a review of the future funding and shape of higher education.

Errr…every university ‘boss’ in Scotland is calling for the same thing.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

University of Bristol gives out free condoms to help prevent STIs The University of Bristol is also offering tampons and STI testing kits to students free of charge.

Are they absolutely sure it’s not a gimmick?

The large and long-lived tree: #Scots pine 🌲

A keystone species of the #CaledonianForest - watch to explore how this remarkable tree connects nature, history and heritage.

Quarter of UK university physics departments at risk of closing, survey finds Four out of five making staff cuts as physicists say findings are ‘great concern’ for UK’s leadership in important areas

Another day, another crisis. Expect more such headlines tomorrow, and again the day after. Such is the reality of the UK’s university sector…

Drone images show demolition of former Berkshire council HQ The home of Berkshire County Council from 1981 until 1998 is being destroyed.

Another brutalist monument to municipality bites the dust. Whatever happened to the circular economy? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Main Turbine Hall, Tate Modern

UK public has paid £200bn to shareholders of key industries since privatisation – study Analysis reveals ‘privatisation premium’ of £250 per household per year paid to owners of water, rail, bus, energy and mail services since 2010

Rip-off Britain