Enquiries - 3rd Quarter 2000 In most of the regions where firms are looking forward to a standstill or even a slight dip in work in the final quarter of 2000, there is a more favourable balance of replies saying that the number of enquiries regarding possible future work has been higher or lower in the third quarter than in April-June. With four out of ten reporting more enquiries, compared with a quarter saying they received fewer than in the second quarter, the overall balance is +16. This compares favourably with +10 last time, and +8 a year ago. However, Table 5 shows that the latest results for builders are closer than this those of the previous surveys, whilst those for specialist contractors are much improved - principally by a drop in the proportion reporting a fall in enquiries, although there is also some increase in that reporting a rose - just as they have been shown to be for the change in workload in the latest quarter and the expected change in the next one. The best regional result for this question, for the standard regions shown in the table, is that for Yorkshire & Humberside, although there is a better one for the Kent, Surrey and Sussex segment of the South East, where as high a proportion as 67% report an increase in enquiries. It is largely because of this that the result for the South East as a whole is clearly positive, its balance of +27 being exceeded only in Yorkshire & Humberside and the North, where there are slightly lower proportions reporting a rise in enquiries, but also slightly lower percentages indicating a decline.
Table 5 - Enquiries in the Last Quarter   1999 2000 Third Quarter 2000   wtd % balance wtd % balance Weighted percentage   Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Higher Same Lower Balance Northern 40 52 8 +32 Yorkshire & Humberside 50 35 15 +35 East Midlands 26 62 12 +14 East Anglia 38 35 27 +11 London 36 35 29 +7 South East 53 21 26 +27 South West 42 36 22 +20 West Midlands 41 21 38 +3 North West 48 18 34 +14 Wales 11 50 39 -28 All builders +14 +16 +27 +12 41 33 26 +15 All specialists -10 -10 0 +5 42 41 17 +25 National +8 +10 +22 +10 41 34 25 +16
With this question also there is a relatively weak result from the West Midlands, and a very poor one from Wales. Written-in comments from the Principality, already noted as having referred to the adverse effect on third quarter workload of the lower level of home improvement grants, anticipate further reductions in this source of funding of housing RM&I work, continuing into the fiscal year 2001/02. By type of work, all sector balances of replies indicating enquiries higher or lower than in the previous quarter are stronger than last time, and compared with the third quarter of 1999. That for social housing new build is again negative, but only by two points, whilst that for repair and maintenance of non-residential buildings for public sector clients is no better than zero; but both these results are clearly better than last time, although not compared with the first quarter 2000.
Table 6 - Enquiries by Sector   1999 2000 Third Quarter 2000   wtd % balance wtd % balance Weighted percentage   Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Higher Same Lower Balance Housing:                 Private new +4 +6 +16 +10 36 54 10 +26 Private RM&I +15 +14 +25 +10 38 47 15 +23 Social new -32 -22 +8 -18 15 68 17 -2 Social RM&I -17 +17 +10 -5 30 56 14 +16 Non-residential:                 Public new build -7 -11 -4 -9 29 50 21 +8 Public R&M -8 -2 +5 -7 23 54 23 0 Private industrial -7 +5 +5 -1 25 54 21 +4 Private commercial +3 +13 +4 -5 29 51 20 +9 Private R&M +7 +10 +22 +3 24 60 16 +8
Once again, however, the most positive results in respect of enquiries are those for private housing, both new build and RM&I, with more than a third of respondents reporting a rise in enquiries in respect of both of these types of work. The figure for more enquiries for social housing RM&I is 30%, double that for new build. For all the non-residential building sectors around a quarter of respondents report an increase in enquiries, which is more than indicate a reduction in all of them except repair and maintenance of non-residential buildings for public sector clients. Almost everywhere, the 'higher' percentages are higher than last time, and the 'lower' percentages lower. First posted: 25 October 2000. Last modified: 25 October 2000.