Civils contractors today welcomed the announcement of a further £13 billion of capital spend over the course of this Parliament at today’s Spring Statement by saying the benefits of this investment will only be felt once industry can get spades in the ground on projects.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a further increase in capital spending of £13 billion over this Parliament, supported by the investment in construction skills unveiled earlier this week, as well as support for building a third runway at Heathrow.
Commenting, Director of Operations for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) Marie-Claude Hemming said “We welcome the UK Government’s decision to go further in kickstarting economic growth through capital spending and the ambitious programme of upskilling the construction industry announced earlier this week.
“However, the benefits of infrastructure – and the rewarding and high-paid jobs infrastructure delivery creates – will only be fully realised once industry can get spades in the ground on projects.
“We call on the Government to work with industry to identify pinch-points in project delivery that are slowing the progress of schemes to market, to ensure that businesses and communities can see the real-world impact the provision of world-class infrastructure can have without delay.
“We strongly support the Government’s focus on infrastructure as a driver for growth and look forward to working with CECA members and all other stakeholders to ensure that the UK economy is stronger, more resilient, and not only creates good jobs in our sector, but makes a real difference to the lived experience of people across all parts of England, Scotland and Wales.”
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