Lenny's Story

Lenny, 31, from Hertsmere in the East of England, wanted to retrain in construction but found himself caught in a system where training places sat empty while housing targets went unmet. In this episode, we explore how HM Treasury's approach to infrastructure spending treats building homes as a deficit risk rather than a way to put skilled workers like bricklayers, electricians, and plumbers to work. Construction training providers had capacity, planning permissions existed for new homes, and workers were ready to train. But CITB levy funding wasn't directed where housing need was greatest because central government chose to prioritise deficit reduction over delivering the homes communities need. The workers were available, the training capacity was there - the constraint was political will, not resources. This episode examines the construction sector in Hertsmere and the East of England. Blocked Britain is produced independently and receives no government funding.