Eileen, my Consort, and I, were honoured to be invited by the Master Constructor to the Company’s Livery and Awards Dinner. It was an important occasion in their Livery year when they recognise achievements and contributions across the Company. There were awards for architecture, building and other facets of the construction industry. There was particular praise for the Battersea Power Station development, which has been completed after so many false starts. Special awards were also made for each of the armed services and the units that the Company supports.
The guest speaker was Roger Bailey, Chief Technical Officer and a Director of Tideway, which is the company delivering the Thames Tideway Tunnel. The Company is owned by corporate investors and pension funds. Tideway employ more than 400 staff who work with four main delivery partners. Work on the project started in 2015 and completion is expected in 2025. It currently operates at 24 sites in London. It will cost £4.5bn and Thames Water’s 15 million wastewater customers are paying for it through their bills at an additional cost of no more than £25 per year. I am hoping that he may give us a guided tour of one of their sites.
It was very interesting talking to members of the Company about their aspects of the construction industry. I learnt much about fastenings, quality and sourcing. The UK has shifted to the design rather than manufacture of many building components.
We were entertained by the London Banqueting Ensemble who gave us some breath-taking performances.
All the visiting Masters were made very welcome and it was fascinating to talk about common themes in our respective sectors. One of the biggest challenges in construction is recruitment and training in this rapidly evolving sector. We have much to learn from each other.
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