Shortage of bricks and bricklayers could weigh on housing recovery, say builders
A shortage of bricks and bricklayers in the UK is threatening to undermine efforts to alleviate the housing crisis, house builders have warned.
Construction & Materials
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17:10 19/04/24
A report from the Federation of Master Builders said 50% of construction businesses in its quarterly survey were finding it difficult to hire bricklayers, with carpenters and joiners also proving hard to obtain.
"Brick manufacturers are working hard to reignite their kilns which were mothballed during the recession," Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB, told the Telegraph.
The Federation, which represents small and medium-sized building firms, added that almost two-thirds of its firms faced a two month wait for new brick orders, with almost a quarter of builders waiting for up to four months and 16% facing a wait of between six and eight months.
"Solving the housing crisis has been one of the hot topics during this General Election campaign and we welcome the renewed focus on house building by all the main parties," Berry said. "Although each party has its own distinct plans for how the next Government should boost house building, all of them agree it must be a priority.
"The results of our latest survey expose continuing threats which could undermine their plans.”