{"id":883287,"date":"2026-01-08T05:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/december-administrations-reach-three-year-high\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T05:12:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T11:12:00","slug":"december-administrations-reach-three-year-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/december-administrations-reach-three-year-high\/","title":{"rendered":"December administrations reach three-year high"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Fewer construction companies went under in December 2025 than the month before, according to the latest data from Creditsafe.<\/p>\n

But the 20 collapses in the final month of the year marked the highest December total since 2022, when 23 firms went under.<\/p>\n

In a broader context, the fourth quarter (Q4) tally of 63 administrations made it the quietest Q4 since 2021, when 62 firms collapsed.<\/p>\n

Creditsafe recorded 286 construction administrations for 2025 as a whole, up slightly on the 282 failures in 2024 but well below the worst-affected year, which was 2023 with 363 administrations.<\/p>\n

Six of the firms in the latest casualty list employed fewer than five staff and two others \u2013 Elm Farm Ltd and Abbeyglen Ltd \u2013 collapsed without ever filing annual accounts.<\/p>\n

SDM Fabrication Ltd<\/a> was one of only two firms large enough to file detailed accounts with Companies House.<\/p>\n

The Cambridgeshire-based structural steel contractor\u00a0called in Hayley Watson, Chris McKay and Richard Bloomfield of FRP Advisory.<\/p>\n

SDM had recently experienced\u00a0\u201csustained financial pressures linked to rising input costs, sector-wide margin challenges and tighter liquidity\u201d, FRP said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrior to [SDM] entering administration, FRP assisted the directors with running a sales process in an attempt to save the business and jobs of all employees. However, a deal could not be achieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing the administrators\u2019 appointment, the business ceased trading and all 96 employees were regrettably made redundant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe administrators have now supported those affected to submit claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn orderly wind-down of the company\u2019s affairs is underway, including the sale of assets and recovery of outstanding debts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Family-run SDM was established in 2010 and focused on the design, fabrication and installation of structural steelwork, mainly in East Anglia and London.<\/p>\n

It operated from a four-acre base in March, near Peterborough.<\/p>\n

The firm\u2019s most recent published accounts, covering the year to 31 August 2023, showed the \u00a321m-turnover firm had doubled its pre-tax profit to \u00a31.9m and was expanding its factory to increase steel fabrication capacity by 50 per cent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a clear path towards maximising the use of this increased capacity over the coming two to three-year period,\u201d director Richard Melton said.<\/p>\n

SDM held fixed assets valued at around \u00a32.9m and current assets worth \u00a36.3m, with net assets totalling \u00a31.9m.<\/p>\n

However, the firm\u2019s accounts also described a \u201csubdued\u201d market outlook and said the decrease in tender opportunities was a \u201ctelltale sign of a general decline in activity\u201d.<\/p>\n

SDM handled work ranging from small-span portal frame buildings to composite high-rise developments and complex fabrication projects.<\/p>\n

Clients included tier one contractor Kier<\/a>, for which SDM was providing steel for the first phase of the \u00a340.9m Hewett Academy in Norwich at the time it went under.<\/p>\n

The firm also supplied a 190-tonne steel frame on Kier\u2019s Wisbech Green special school, which was completed in 2023.<\/p>\n

Waagner Biro Steel and Glass Ltd, a London-based structural steel and glass specialist, was among the other firms that fell into administration last month.<\/p>\n

It called in Tyrone Courtman and Matthew Haw of RSM as joint administrators.<\/p>\n

In its most recent audited accounts for the year to 31 December 2024, the company reported turnover of \u00a335.2m and a pre-tax profit of \u00a3374,373.<\/p>\n

It employed a monthly average of 13 staff.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s assets were valued at around \u00a314m, with net assets of \u00a3586,000.<\/p>\n

Its project portfolio included the Great Court (pictured) at the British Museum in London and One Angel Square in Manchester.<\/p>\n

\u2018Confidence chasm\u2019<\/h3>\n

The new Creditsafe data was issued a few weeks after the S&P Global Construction PMI revealed an 11th<\/sup> consecutive month of falling new orders<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Julie Palmer, managing partner at Begbies Traynor, described a \u201cconfidence chasm\u201d that is \u201cstifling growth\u201d in the construction sector.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith data showing residential, commercial and civil engineering projects all down amid the backdrop of ambitious targets and housing demand, the industry desperately needs to feel that rising costs, materials inflation, skills gaps and supply chain issues are being dismantled by policy decisions,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cConstruction firms need to act now to confront distress early and create the stable foundations for survival and regrowth by reviewing and evolving strategy, direction or management.\u201d<\/p>\n

Palmer urged contractors to prioritise their financial resilience by\u00a0\u201ccountering incoming cost increases and HMRC\u2019s recovery of unpaid tax, with realistic profit margins and leveraging the value of assets to create more cashflow\u201d.<\/p>\n

Shortly before Christmas, new data from the Insolvency Service showed that construction business collapses (including liquidations) had surged from 291 in September to 360 the month after.<\/p>\n

RSM UK restructuring advisory partner James Hawksworth said the spike was probably due to \u201chigh material prices and increasing labour costs\u201d for contractors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is creating a perfect storm for the sector, when combined with project delays placing intense pressure on working capital, and lenders being cautious about advancing funds to the sector,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Company name<\/strong><\/td>\nLocation<\/strong><\/td>\nDate of administration<\/strong><\/td>\nDocuments filed<\/strong><\/td>\nDescription of company activities<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
44 RENSHAW LTD<\/td>\nLiverpool<\/td>\n15 Dec<\/td>\nAppointment of receiver\/manager<\/td>\nOther letting and operating of own or leased real estate<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ABBEYGLEN PROPERTIES (BEULAH ROAD) LTD<\/td>\nSurrey<\/td>\n04 Dec<\/td>\nAppointment of receiver\/manager<\/td>\nDevelopment of building projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CPR ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING LTD<\/td>\nWrexham<\/td>\n05 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nElectrical installation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ELM FARM COTTAGE LTD<\/td>\nNewcastle upon Tyne<\/td>\n10 Dec<\/td>\nAppointment of receiver\/manager<\/td>\nDevelopment of building projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GREEN POWER HOME SERVICES LTD<\/td>\nEssex<\/td>\n22 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nOther specialised construction activities n.e.c.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
HCP (LEVINGTON) LTD<\/td>\nDagenham<\/td>\n12 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nDevelopment of building projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
POD SPACE LTD<\/td>\nYorkshire<\/td>\n11 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nOther manufacturing n.e.c.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
QUESLETT DEVELOPMENTS (WEST MIDS) LTD<\/td>\nBirmingham<\/td>\n19 Dec<\/td>\nAppointment of receiver\/manager<\/td>\nConstruction of domestic buildings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
RECOM SURFACING LTD<\/td>\nBuckinghamshire<\/td>\n31 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nOther specialised construction activities n.e.c.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SCOTT FENCING LTD<\/td>\nNewcastle upon Tyne<\/td>\n19 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nOther specialised construction activities n.e.c.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SDM FABRICATION LTD<\/td>\nCambridgeshire<\/td>\n02 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nOther specialised construction activities n.e.c.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
SHAPE WORKS LTD<\/td>\nLondon<\/td>\n18 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nJoinery installation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
STONEGATE HOMES (HOVE 2) LTD<\/td>\nGuildford<\/td>\n03 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nDevelopment of building projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
STONEGATE HOMES (HOVE) LTD<\/td>\nGuildford<\/td>\n03 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nDevelopment of building projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TANG DEVELOPMENTS LTD<\/td>\nStevenage<\/td>\n19 Dec<\/td>\nAppointment of receiver\/manager<\/td>\nDevelopment of building projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
THORNYCROFT PROPERTY LTD<\/td>\nSomerset<\/td>\n10 Dec<\/td>\nAppointment of receiver\/manager<\/td>\nDevelopment of building projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
TOWN FOOT RISE LTD<\/td>\nNorthumberland<\/td>\n30 Dec<\/td>\nAppointment of receiver\/manager<\/td>\nDevelopment of building projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
USHYMA SYLVAN LTD<\/td>\nMaidenhead<\/td>\n30 Dec<\/td>\nAppointment of receiver\/manager<\/td>\nDevelopment of building projects<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
VECTOR-FOILTEC LTD<\/td>\nLondon<\/td>\n18 Dec<\/td>\nIn administration<\/td>\nRoofing activities<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
WAAGNER BIRO STEEL AND GLASS LTD<\/td>\nLondon<\/td>\n24 Dec<\/td>\nAdministrator appointed<\/td>\nOther specialised construction activities n.e.c.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>
\n Ben Vogel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fewer construction companies went under in December 2025 than the month before, according to the latest data from Creditsafe. But the 20 collapses in the final month of the year marked the highest December total since 2022, when 23 firms went under. In a broader context, the fourth quarter (Q4) tally of 63 administrations made<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":883288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29620,22809],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-883287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-administrations","category-december"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=883287"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883287\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/883288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}