Nearly one in three (30%) building companies are expecting their workloads to fall this year and more than half (56%) have seen a reduction in the amount of private sector housing work in the first quarter of this year, according to the latest state of trade survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).

Richard Diment, Director General of the FMB said: "The results from our latest state of trade survey show that the building industry in still in recession. The majority of building companies are reporting lower workloads with one in three expecting a further decline in the next three months. What is particularly alarming is the abrupt slowdown in the amount of public sector work with 51% of companies reporting lower workloads in the public sector compared to 31% just three months ago. What this shows is that cuts in local authority budgets are already hitting a hard pressed building industry and future prospects after the general election do not look good."

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Mr Diment concluded: "The building industry is a vital part of the British economy responsible for 9% of the UK’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) but unless the political parties do more to speak up for our industry its contribution to the economy both in terms of wealth and job creation will be diminished. As the political parties gear up for the general election we need to hear more about what they will do to support British builders who face a very uncertain future. A commitment to skills and training would be a start as would cutting the amount of growing regulation that small building firms have to cope with."

(CD/GK)