THE Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) has announced the theme for its conference this year will be ‘Unlocking the Nation’s Growth Plans’.
The CPA Conference 2026, hosted by Peter Haddock, takes place on Thursday 21st May at One Great George Street, Westminster, London. The event will feature a series of industry speakers and panel discussions relating to topics including opportunities for the construction plant hire sector, building skills for the workforce, communications, and decarbonisation.
The event has a fresh format for 2026, with the conference element taking place in the morning, followed by a three-course lunch in the afternoon, and an exhibition to allow maximum networking opportunities.
It is the first time the conference is being hosted in London and the venue is a Grade II listed building which is headquarters to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). Delegate tickets are available to purchase on the CPA website.
The overall theme is linked to a new report produced by Oxford Economics for the CPA. Entitled ‘Half-Built Britain: Unlocking the Nation’s Growth Plans’, the report warns Britain’s construction engine is stalling under the strain of skills shortages, weak investment, and delivery delays. However, it also highlights the opportunity for government and industry to work together to unlock investment and close the productivity gap.
Graham Robinson, global infrastructure and construction lead at Oxford Economics, will delve into detail about the report in the first session of the CPA Conference 2026 before a panel discussion with leading figures from the hire industry.
The second session will cover skills, careers and training with Molly Gill, a plant operator with Flannery Plant Hire, relaying her experiences. With no construction experience, she joined the Operator Skills Hub’s government-funded Skills Bootcamps, where she earned her ADT, dumper and tracked dumper tickets before advancing to secure her excavator qualification. Her rapid rise saw her named Young Plant Operative of the Year at the Construction Plant-hire Association’s Stars of the Future Awards 2025.
The third session will be delivered by Lee Cain, founder of strategic advisory firm Charlesbye and Downing Street’s former director of communications under PM Boris Johnson. He will outline how to develop effective communication strategies in a crowded digital and social media space.
The final panel session will be led by CPA decarbonisation and sustainability manager Luis Bassett, who will provide an overview of CPA’s perspective and plans relating to decarbonisation, before short presentations from guest speakers covering current market and low-carbon equipment prevalence, financing options for the purchase of cleaner equipment, telematics and carbon reporting, and ESG, before a Q&A session.
CPA CEO Steve Mulholland said, “This will be the 10th conference that the CPA has hosted and it has a brand-new theme, a fresh format with a sit-down lunch and an exhibition to maximise networking opportunities, and a well-positioned, impressive venue in the heart of Westminster. With the recent launch of the CPA/Oxford Economics Report, there is a wealth of topics for us to explore how CPA members and the wider construction community can unlock the nation’s growth plans. We’re in the process of building a packed agenda for the day and it’s gearing up to be a great event. We’re looking forward to welcoming everybody to One Great George Street.”
