UK construction output slips in fourth quarter despite December pick-up
British construction output slipped more than expected in the fourth quarter, dragged down by reduced infrastructure spending despite housebuilding increasing at the fastest pace since the start of 2014.
Construction output fell 0.4 per cent in the fourth quarter after a 1.7 per cent decline in the third quarter, the Office for National Statistics said on Friday.
While a bigger drop than the estimate used in preliminary fourth quarter GDP figures, the ONS said that even when combined with the downward revision to industrial output figures earlier this week, they would have only a negligible impact on growth rates.
Construction output rose 1.5 per cent in December alone, in line with economists’ forecasts after a 1.1 per cent drop in November.
For 2015 as a whole, construction output grew by 3.4 per cent – faster than the economy as a whole, but slower than the 7.5 per cent expansion chalked up in 2014.
Total construction output is still 4.1 per cent below its level in early 2008, just before Britain fell into recession.