Output in the UK construction industry fell in October, down 5.1% from the same month last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But, compared with the previous month, output rose 8.3%.
Output in the UK construction industry fell in October, down 5.1% from the same month last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). But, compared with the previous month, output rose 8.3%.
Construction output in the three months to October was 9.7% down on the same period last year with the sharpest fall in new work, down 11.8%, with repair and maintenance falling just 5.6%. Of the sectors, the biggest fall was in public housing, where output was 20.7% down on the same period last year.
David Crosthwaite, an economist for consultant AECOM, said the figures showed October was "another bad month" for construction. He said: "One way of arresting the continuing decline in construction output would be for the government to bring forward any public sector investment plans as a matter of urgency.
"Construction is an important part of the UK economy as a whole, providing the facilities that we all need to be productive. The continuing decline in this sector will have inevitable consequences for the wider economy going forward."
