The next government
must give much-needed confidence to the construction industry, says the
Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
It made the call in
response to the latest construction PMI data, which shows construction
companies have recorded a fall in activity in November for the eighth month in
a row.
Jessica Levy,
Director of Communications at the FMB said: “In November, the construction
industry weathered the storm of continued Brexit uncertainty, a general
election and unusually wet weather.
"Unsurprisingly,
this has led to another fall in output leading to the longest period of decline
of new orders in the industry since 2013. While the slightly better results
than expected in (the) data are welcome, it is clear the industry is in dire
need of some Christmas cheer, once a new government is elected.
“Whoever forms the
new government, needs to give some much-needed confidence and certainty to this
vital industry which makes up almost 9% of GDP and employs almost 3 million
people.
"House
building, which forms a major part of the construction industry, should become
a national infrastructure priority for the new government. This will not only
help tackle the ongoing housing crisis but give much needed confidence to the
industry.”
