Construction Orders at Lowest Level Since 1980

Spending cuts to public sector investment projects such as the ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme were partly to blame for the slowdown, but private sector housebuilding also remains muted. The figures undermine Chancellor George Osborne’s assertion that the private sector will soon be healthy enough to pick up the slack in the economy, and are likely to put the government under increasing pressure to stimulate the economy and provide a realistic plan for growth.