AUDIO NEWS: Tories pledge to get tough on tool thieves and construction activity drops again!

Tories outline plan to combat tool theft, construction activity falls in October and CITB boosts apprenticeship starts by 61% in last six months

The Conservative Party has promised to get tough on tool theft with a series of measures unveiled last week.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claimed she stood with the nation’s ‘grafters’, as she pledged to stop tools being sold at car boot sales and tougher sentences for tool thieves.

Badenoch also committed to higher fines for those convicted, with victims being compensated for the value of their stolen equipment.

Any surplus funds would be used to support the local police.

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The Construction Purchasing Manager’s Index dropped by a further two points in October, reflecting weakening order books ahead of this month’s budget.

Last month marked the longest period of continuous decline on S&P Global’s index since the 2008 credit crunch.

Business activity in the civil engineering and residential sectors both decreased sharply, amidst reports that elevated political and economic uncertainty discouraged client spending.

However, businesses were optimistic for the year ahead, with over a third predicting a rise in output.

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The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has reported a 61% increase in apprenticeship starts in the last six months.

Under its New Entrant Support Team (NEST), over 1,500 aspiring tradespeople joined the industry between April and September of this year.

And it engaged with over 9,000 employers with the aim of recruiting an apprentice into their business.

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