Leader

摘要

The mocking descriptions of a 'zombie parliament' that followed the revelation last week that MPs have vacated Westminster a week early for their spring break have only confirmed what most have suspected for months. With an election now just a year away, and the coalition partners increasingly focused on their own agendas, the chance of any significant policy announcements is rapidly dwindling. And, similarly, the rush to spend on capital projects that usually accompanies a government's last year in office has been replaced by inertia. Existing spending programmes may have been topped up slightly, but fresh ideas and long-term commitments are scarce. Against this backdrop, Building is entering the final three weeks of its Agenda 15 consultation, in which we are asking the industry to suggest policy ideas that could form a manifesto with which to lobby the political parties in the run up to next May's election. And if the comparisons between parliament and the walking dead show one thing, it is that there is a huge opportunity for the industry to steer the next government's policy direction.