SHIFTING SANDS
Sand and gravel sales fell by 10 per cent in the second quarter amid road scheme uncertainty, according to the Mineral Products Association. Director of economic affairs Aurelie Delannoy said:
“Government uncertainty is hurting our sector and the broader construction supply chain. The latest cancellation of the Stonehenge tunnel and Arundel bypass schemes, following the previous cancellation of the northern leg of HS2, further erodes business confidence.”
LEVEL LOAD
Workloads in the construction sector were unchanged with a net balance of zero surveyors reporting a change in the second quarter of the year, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). However, RICS expects “increased activity” in the coming months.
HEAVY MACHINERY
Equipment costs are European contractors’ greatest worry this year, with other problems close behind, a survey by Aggreko has found.
TIGHT MARKET
More than four-fifths of construction companies struggled to recruit staff in the last quarter, according to a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce.
15
The number of times faster the amount of plastic waste from the UK construction industry has grown compared with the rest of Europe, research by the Copper Sustainability Partnership has found.
0.9%
The fall in material prices in the year to June 2024, according to statistics from the Department for Business and Trade.
12%
The proportion of administrations in the first half of the year that were from the construction industry, according to law firm Shakespeare Martineau.
11,000
The number of additional construction workers Wales needs to support its growing economy, according to Welsh minister Jeremy Miles.
SLOW GOING
The construction industry saw the smallest growth in average wages in May 2024 when compared to other sectors, according to the Office for National Statistics.
