May 2016 – Earthmoving
Next month we go to the polls to decide
whether or not the UK should remain part of the European Union.
Many of us have already decided how we will vote, but I suspect a significant number still can’t decide.
Giving the Brussels bureaucrats the elbow has an undeniable appeal; but in doing so, would we lose access to important markets? The truth is we don’t know for sure exactly what we stand to gain – or lose –by leaving the Union.
The construction industry hates uncertainty; there’s always a slow-down in the run-up to a general election, as indeed we saw last year. But this time much more is at stake and in the weeks leading up to the referendum, the markets have responded by sitting on their hands.
Our BCLive Contracts League, on page 14, shows a massive drop in the number and value of contracts awarded last month, with a corresponding slump in the number of new jobs going out to tender.
Whatever the result of the referendum next month, one likely outcome is that the construction industry will have lost vital momentum and will struggle to get back up to speed.
David Taylor
Editor
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