The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published a consultation on its mental health project.
The CLC’s Health Safety and Wellbeing Summit on 1st July set out mental health as one of its priority focus areas (as part of its wider Health, Safety and Wellbeing Strategy), with the aim to create an environment that fosters better mental health for the people that work in the UK construction industry.
The CLC held a series of focus groups across England, in partnership with Mates in Mind and the University of Warwick, to identify the primary root causes for poor mental health in construction. Today’s consultation which is open until 05 November 2025, details those causes and invites stakeholders across the industry for their views on what can be done to eliminate or reduce them.
The importance of this work is illustrated by the fact the suicide rate in UK construction is four times the national average which is unacceptable.
Whilst we know there are lots of factors that affect a person’s mental health, with some work related and some not, these are not numbers. They are husbands, wives, dads, mums, children and friends. The time for systemic change is now. We all have a responsibility to our workforce to improve the health and wellbeing of our people.
This consultation focuses on the measures that the UK construction industry can take to reduce the future likelihood of poor mental health in the sector.
CLC wants to hear your views and ambitions for how the industry can collectively come together to reduce or eliminate the challenges colleagues and friends are experiencing across the sector. Change is needed.
It will then analyse the consultation results, before agreeing and publishing, in Spring 2026, an action plan with supporting guidance with industry leaders, and key stakeholders on what it can jointly do to address the root causes.
Mark Reynolds, Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council said: “As leaders in the built environment and construction sector, we have a collective responsibility to our workforce to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of our people.
“By working in partnership and being ambitious, we can drive improvements in mental health across the sector, ensuring a positive working environment for our current and future workforce.
“This consultation is a vital step in that journey, enabling us to bring together the views of industry in this space to inform our public Spring 2026 action plan. I would encourage you to respond and give us your views”.
