Public housebuilding output rises in February

Public housing output in February showed a marked improvement compared with the same month a year ago, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics.

Output was up by 14.7% in February year-on-year, and by 11% in the three months to February versus with the same period in 2018.

And compared with the previous three-month period the most recent three-month period saw public housing output up 3.5%.

The only ONS data set to show a decline in public housing output was between January and February, where it dipped 0.7%.

Output among private housebuilders in February rose by nearly 3% compared with the same month last year.

Total construction output for the three-months-on-three-months series – deemed by the ONS to be the most reflective barometer of the industry’s underlying fortunes – saw a 0.6% dip.

As the ONS published its latest figures, the government was urged to come up with a proper strategy for the UK construction industry in the event that ministers secure a year-long delay to Brexit.

Mark Robinson, chief executive of framework group Scape, urged the government’s new construction minister, Andrew Stephenson, to “use the time wisely to compile a comprehensive plan for the industry in post-Brexit Britain.

“If we can prove to the world that we are prepared, confidence will follow.

“But if we are to do so Stephenson must address the UK’s skills shortage, because an industry without a well-trained and well-manned workforce is no industry at all.”