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Builders’ recovery from the pandemic is being curtailed by a long-lasting crisis in the price and availability of vital building materials.

Construction output is falling as a result of material price increases and skills shortages; restricting smaller builders' ability to recover from the pandemic.

Government and industry must address the national shortage of building materials to reverse declining construction activity.

Fastest rise in construction activity since 1997 risks being undermined by price increases and a shortage of building materials.

Membership of the FMB means you have a voice in Government. Our team is speaking up for Master Builders on the issues that matter the most to you. Here’s what we have been up to this month:

Work for builders in the repair, maintenance and improvement sector remains healthy with a 5% increase in the three months to April 2021, but the national shortage of construction materials risks undermining builders’ ability to build.

While workloads and activity remain strong, the skyrocketing price of building materials continues to dampen construction’s economic recovery and is disproportionately impacting on the industry’s smallest firms.

Since the coronavirus pandemic started last year, many members have experienced difficulty with buying the building materials they need. We asked the Construction Products Association and the Builders Merchants Federation to provide an update. 

Not all ‘treated timber’ products have received the same preservative treatment, this affects where and how they can be used.

Builders in Northern Ireland are reporting strong growth in workloads and enquiries, following a difficult year for business.

Workloads for Scottish builders continued to shrink in Q1 2021, following the lockdown restrictions on non-essential building works inside people's homes.