The Construction Employers Federation (CEF) brought together members, policymakers and industry leaders on Tuesday 2 June for a landmark day at Riddel Hall, Belfast, combining the Federation’s 81st Annual General Meeting (AGM) with the launch of its first-ever Annual Conference and the construction industry’s manifesto for the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly Election.
The event marked the beginning of a new chapter for CEF, with Gareth Loye (Mascott Construction) assuming the role of President and Janet Deane (Deane Public Works) as Vice President.
The manifesto – Delivery, not Delay – for the 2027 Assembly Election represents a clear statement from the construction industry that there must be a step-change in delivery from the next NI Executive given the critical challenges facing Northern Ireland.
The first ever CEF Annual Conference at Riddel Hall was hosted by Sarah Travers, and in partnership with Headline Sponsor KPMG, over 200 delegates heard from a range of speakers on subjects including skills, carbon reduction, and AI.
The event also saw a political representative panel made up of Chris Hazzard MP, Peter Martin MLA, Peter McReynolds MLA and Matthew O’Toole MLA discuss the CEF’s eight key asks of the next NI Executive. These are:
- Ensure political stability by agreeing a draft Programme for Government before the end of May 2027 before the allocation of ministerial portfolios and consider a programme of institutional reforms which are geared towards the better functioning of devolved government
- Create a streamlined and supported entry pathway that enables SMEs to take on apprentices and new entrants with reduced administrative burden and risk, including targeted incentives where appropriate. Additionally, simplify the skills and qualification landscape and reduce fragmentation across education providers to create clearer, more accessible pathways into construction employment for learners, educators and employers
- Deliver a legally binding commitment to funding NI Water’s PC28 to the level determined by the Utility Regulator at its commencement as well as implement an Infrastructure Levy to unlock economic development and address environmental decline
- Seek a regional deal with the UK Government for an Infrastructure Transformation fund to ensure continued confidence in NI Water’s capital funding to maintain investment confidence in Northern Ireland
- With the NI Executive’s legally binding commitment to funding NI Water’s Price Controls in place, set an ambitious target of completing a minimum of 10,000 new homes for each of the next fifteen years to meet our housing need
- Agree a multi-year capital budget to 2030 to provide Government Clients with fiscal certainty as well as considering other means to grow the funding envelope through a combination of enhanced borrowing, governance changes, and alternative funding such as road tolling
- Finalise and publish an Investment Strategy to 2050 to enable key projects such as the A5, A1 Junctions, York Street Interchange, Casement Park, Belfast Rapid Transit Phase 2, the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, and the Roads Maintenance Strategy along with the creation of an independent Infrastructure Commission
- Agree, introduce, and approve an ambitious Planning and Infrastructure Bill which seeks to address our broken planning system
Commenting, Mark Spence, Chief Executive of the CEF said:
“As we move towards next May’s election, and the 30th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 2028, our sector reflects on a challenging decade which has seen not just a number of crises and economic shocks, but also a self-inflicted sustained period of stop/start devolved government.
“This manifesto is set against that backdrop – the need for political stability, the critical importance of dealing with decades-old infrastructure and housing blockages, sensibly addressing our financial challenges, building a Northern Ireland that deals with the climate and environmental issues that face us, and ensuring that we have the skills and workforce that will underpin our success.
“The structural obstacles strangling Northern Ireland’s infrastructure delivery are well-known to all in our society. They are not new. Indeed, it was sobering in preparing our manifesto to see how many of these issues remain largely unaddressed since the platform we published before the 2016 Assembly election.
“The obstacles are the result of collective political failure and decades of short-term decision-making. We have watched potential growth wither under chronic wastewater infrastructure underfunding, a broken planning system, and a lack of fiscal certainty. Our industry has shown resilience, but resilience is not a substitute for governance. We need political stability, and we need ambition.
“Politicians often talk about ambition for Northern Ireland. But in truth, ambition without infrastructure is an illusion.
“Failure to act on our eight key asks will not simply delay progress; it will exacerbate already inflated costs of living and doing business in Northern Ireland, it will block much needed housing, deter international investment, and cause Northern Ireland to fall irretrievably behind competing regions.
“We expect delivery, not delay”.