Jocelyne Fleming

2025 promises to be a busy year for Holyrood with significant developments for the construction industry. There are several important pieces of legislation and consultations on the docket, from the Housing (Scotland) Bill to the Heat in Buildings Strategy, to the Scottish Passivhaus Equivalent Standard Consultation, and many more.

Outside of the debating chamber (and civil service) there is a plethora of standing committees, working groups, and industry meetings that continue to do exceptional work to drive forward policy proposals and reforms to better Scotland’s built environment.

While it’s important to remain flexible and responsive to changing tides and priorities from policymakers, there are a few over-arching priority areas on which the CIOB’s policy work will focus on this year.

Housing

Given the ongoing challenges facing Scotland’s housing system, it is unsurprising that this issue will remain a key priority for the CIOB in 2025. In particular, we will continue our focus on retrofit and energy efficiency, underscoring the proposals outlined in our research paper, Harnessing Scotland’s Social Housing Expertise, and the joint report issued by the CIOB-chaired Retrofit Roundtable, both of which have been recognised at Holyrood.

Housing is a highly complex, multi-faceted issue, with many moving parts operating in a wider housing system. These parts are all closely linked. So, while elements of the Housing (Scotland) Bill, arguably fall outwith the direct scope of the construction sector, changes within the Bill to parts of the housing system will invariably impact the industry.

So, for the CIOB and the housing sector more broadly there is much advocacy and policy work to be done to reform Scotland’s whole housing system. As such, we will continue to advocate for a holistic approach to housing that considers all tenures and both new and existing stock, as well as related policy areas, such as skills and education, which contribute to the success – and failure – of Scotland’s housing system.

Skills and apprenticeships

A similarly complex and wide-reaching issue is the ongoing skills shortage facing the construction sector. It is vital that Scotland attracts new talent into the industry to close the skills gap.

There will be changes needed across the skills landscape to drive student demand and ensure the resources are in place to meet the built environment’s growing and demonstrable needs. Identifying what these changes are, and any barriers to implementing them, will require a collective effort from the construction industry.

The skills gap risks our ability to address the housing emergency (we can’t build, repair, or improve Scotland’s homes without the necessary skilled people to take on the work). Continued shortages across a range of roles also hinder the sector’s capacity to meet construction demand and deliver projects to a decent standard, thereby risking Scotland’s ability to achieve our net zero targets.

As such, skills and apprenticeships will comprise a central part of the CIOB’s policy work in Scotland this year. We are already actively engaged in industry-led initiatives looking to improve engagement with young people to attract new talent to the industry, and we will be looking to publish research in this space later this year.

Quality and safety

Ensuring the quality and safety of our built environment is an evergreen issue. Significant recent failures with building safety and quality make continue to make this a key focus in 2025.

There are many ongoing workstreams developing in this space across Scotland, which will continue to occupy a significant portion of the CIOB’s policy focus this year. In particular, we will continue to contribute to discussions regarding cladding remediation and Single Building Assessments to ensure the sector is well-informed and prepared to undertake these assessments and related works.

The CIOB has long championed the need to establish the necessary frameworks and mechanisms to effectively assess, address, and maintain the safety of Scotland’s homes in light of the current legislative barriers and challenges in undertaking RMI works in mixed-tenure buildings. As such, we will continue to contribute to the promising work of the Tenement Maintenace Working Group, which aims to develop policies to facilitate the widescale maintenance and repairs of Scotland’s tenement homes.

Housing, skills, and quality are by no means an exhaustive look at the CIOB’s policy work in 2025. In keeping with our public interest remit, we will continue to advocate for holistic, joined-up, systems-based policymaking across issues that relate to the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s homes and buildings. However, these three themes will be a central focus throughout the year ahead and will undoubtedly impact the sector now and well into the future.