According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), November 2022 saw a 0.6% rise in the value of repair & maintenance work carried out across Great Britain but this was offset by a 0.4% fall in new work – resulting in overall construction output growth of 0.0%.

This follows a downwardly revised increase of 0.4% in October 2022.

Growth sectors in November included infrastructure new work (up 4.2%) and non-housing repair & maintenance (up 2.4%).

The laggards were private new housing (down 4.8%) and private housing repair & maintenance (down 1.7%).

In the three months to November 2022, construction output saw an increase of 0.3%, with a  1.3% growth in new work offset by a 1.2 fall in repair & maintenance. However, the previous three-month period – June to August – included the Queen’s platinum jubilee national holidays. The numbers are stilted by the two working days lost in June, the ONS said.

ONS statisticians report that anecdotal evidence received from returns for the Monthly Business Survey for Construction and allied trades (MBS) suggested that the rising prices of construction products has become less of a worry than in previous months.

 “However, more businesses are starting to further reference economic worries leading to customers delaying or cancelling work than in previous months,” the ONS bulletin says.

“To a lesser extent, additional comments mentioned heavy rainfall throughout November 2022. The Met Office confirmed in their monthly climate summary that rainfall was above average and businesses cited that for the construction industry, the rain caused difficult working conditions. However, for some businesses the rainfall generated more work relating to repairs.”

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