Professional institute the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has called on the UK government to continue supporting construction after buyers reported the biggest fall in industry activity on record in April.
The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction Total Activity Index fell from 39.3 in March to 8.2 in April, where 50 indicates no change. Its previous record low was 27.8, during the financial crash in February 2009.
But CIOB chief executive Caroline Gumble said construction professionals saw hope for the future, and urged government to continue offering support.
“It is vital that government takes steps to ensure the construction industry remains strong during this uncertain time, and provides support for trained professionals to deliver current projects and develop a pipeline of work for the future,” she said.
“But while we remain strongly supportive of getting the construction industry back to work, we must continue to follow government guidelines and find pragmatic ways to ensure the workforce and the general public are kept safe. We must also continue to work collaboratively within the industry, taking an approach to our partners and the supply chain which is focussed on communicating effectively and cooperating to pragmatically resolve any contractual issues that may come up between us.”
