Positive growth in the construction industry of 0.4% is welcome news but masks the serious fall in housing output, says Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in response to today’s ONS Construction data for September 2023.
Brian Berry Chief Executive of the FMB said: “In what is looking like a difficult period for our industry, it is pleasing to see growth in construction output this month, which has contributed to overall gains for this quarter. Whilst both the private housing and non-housing repair and maintenance sectors are performing well, this should not distract from the fact that the uptake of new work has continued to fall this month, and presents a major long-term challenge to the overall outlook.”
Brian Berry continued: “The strong performance of repair and maintenance cannot be allowed to mask the fact that this month’s modest overall growth in construction output follows two consecutive months of falls, and that house building rates remain in decline. Action to rectify this alarming decline in new housing was a notable absence from this week’s King’s Speech and the Government needs to make this an urgent priority going into the new year.”
