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Recession 'hitting builders hard'

Tuesday, 21 April 2009 1:53 PM

The latest State of Trade Survey from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) reports 73 per cent of small building firms have seen a decline in workloads.

A further 66 per cent reported a decline for the commercial property sector in the first quarter of 2009.

Although morale was low with builders' expectations downbeat, in the non-residential public new build sector some 14 per cent of FMB builders saw their workloads increase.

Richard Diment, director-general of the FMB, said: "Given the weak economic outlook, the negative workload responses from FMB builders are hardly surprising as this general gloom surrounding the UK's future economic prospects convinces many companies to put expansions, moves, and new office building on hold for the foreseeable future.

"Our latest State of Trade Survey demonstrates clearly just how badly small building firms are being hit and how their suffering translates directly into falls in other sectors of the economy. There is no doubt that the drastic fall in industrial and commercial construction activity is due to the very real fears that businesses have about their prospects for the future."

The survey indicated there may be a slowing in the rate of decline in private housing, public non-residential new build, and public non-residential repair and maintenance.

Mr Diment added: "This is further evidence, if any were needed, of how wrong the government's decision to proceed with the above inflation increases in business rates and the suspension of business rate relief on empty properties are. Clearly the last thing business needs in these conditions are further tax rises."

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