Construction output has dropped, partly due to a decline in private housing repair and maintenance.
The new government needs to take action to give the construction industry a boost, Spicerhaart Part-Exchange & Assisted Move has claimed.
ONS data shows that construction output decreased by 0.3% in the three months to October, compared with the previous three-month period.
There was a drop in repair and maintenance, driven by the 3.6% decline in private housing repair and maintenance, with public housing repair and maintenance also falling by 0.8%.
Meanwhile, new orders grew by 0.3% in Q3. This was driven by an 8.2% increase in new housing but offset by a 3.5% fall in all other work.
Neil Knight, business development director, Spicerhaart Part-Exchange & Assisted Move, said: “October’sconstructionoutput figures suggest that new private housing is showing signs of tailing off, and while public housing compensates for this, these figures make slightly uncomfortable reading.
“This does not reflect our experience on the ground as we are seeing plenty of new developments, but it does underline that there is much more for the new government – whoever is elected on Thursday – to do to get the market moving again.
“The longer-term figures suggest the market is fairly flat overall and we are all going to have to wait a bit longer to see a fully-fledged recovery.
“Hopefully with the election out of the way in a few days’ time, we can all get back to something like normality again and that will restore confidence.”
