Ken Gillespie, Managing Director of Galliford Try Construction Group, has said that further job cuts cannot be ruled out – in the last eighteen months, the company has already seen a drop of around 15 per cent in staff numbers.
According to Mr. Gillespie, Galliford Try’s contracting division will only compete for work where it could both perform well and make a profit, even if this meant a company contraction. For the six months to 31 December 2009 revenue was £415M - down £119M on the same period in 2008.
Mr. Gillespie said that the company was hoping to maintain profit margins on its AMP5 water contracts, despite the reduction in the utility firms’ capital budgets as a result of Ofwat’s final dermination. Galliford Try has now renewed all its AMP5 contracts with existing clients.
Mr Gillespie said that having individual businesses in the regulated industries, each with their own managing directors, was critical to achieving efficiency. As a consequence the companies did not carry overheads from other sectors and staff retained up to 20 years of expertise.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Barhale has completed work on two separate Rapid Action Taskforce Spills projects it is carrying out for Severn Trent.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.