The “Real“ New Year

In a way, the release of a new Budget seems almost more like the start of a New Year than the 1st of January.

This year, it has had added significance, with the new financial year in April chiming in with the prospective lifting of lockdowns in the UK, for what we hope will be the last time - at least in relation to Covid-19.

Businesses and the role we play in moving forward

While we all view Budgets with a combination of trepidation as well as interest, I for one think that Mr. Sunak has done an admirable job of trying to be as fair as possible to all people.

He clearly wants to stimulate business and get us all back to work where possible.

We all have the privilege of being instrumental in helping to pay for what has turned out to be an admirable effort to support individuals and organisations through and beyond unprecedented change.

As a result, we all indirectly help to pay back for the outstanding vaccine rollout that we have seen in the UK.

For those of us in a position where we can help mobilise business or provide jobs in any way, shape or form, we have an additional level of privilege to honour.

I know so many people who have moved heaven and earth over the last 12 months to keep team members employed and to create business opportunities where it originally looked like there weren’t any.

I am in constant awe of that kind of ingenuity and I see it so often in the construction industry.

Looking forward to seeing our international colleagues and clients

As we move into the spring and summer, my team and I are excited to once again be able to meet more of our colleagues and clients in person.

There are so many great benefits of working remotely and in an industry like ours which hinges on many international relationships and calls, we have been familiar with the power of video calls for some time.

However, the work that we do is not just about facts and figures, it’s also about trust and human empathy, and for that sometimes you just need to get together for a cup of coffee and a chat.

There is clearly a road to recovery ahead and all the appropriate measures regarding personal safety, can and should continue to be observed (I am still not entirely sure why we weren’t all using hand sanitiser on a fairly regular basis before anyway).

International travel will take a little while to recover as different international territories have different timelines when it comes to inoculation and different experiences and policies surrounding Covid-19.

However, I think we can all agree that when it comes to colleagues and clients, we’re very much looking forward to being able to see one another again.

For the first time in a long time, that feels like more of a promise than a wish.