Year on year, total new orders were up 3% in Q4 2010.
Public housing orders in Q4 2010 were up 20% year on year.
The volume of private housing orders in Q4 2010 rose by 50% compared with the same period a year earlier, although was unchanged compared with the previous quarter.
The volume of infrastructure orders rose by 37% on the previous quarter but fell by 24% compared with Q4 2009.
The volume of public non-housing excluding infrastructure orders in Q4 2010 rose by 39% compared with the previous quarter, but by just 1% compared with the same period a year earlier.
.gif)
The value of private commercial orders remained unchanged compared with the previous quarter and rose by 4% compared with the same period of 2009.
Private industrial orders in rose by 14% compared with the previous quarter but fell by 23% compared with the same period a year earlier.
Commenting on the numbers form the Office for National Statistics, the Construction Products Association welcomed the rise but expressed concern about the dependence on spending by the public sector on social housing, education, health and infrastructure with little sign of a recovery in the private sector.
Economics director Noble Francis said: “Although the final quarter highlighted an 18% rise in new orders, the extent to which this is reliant on the public sector is still extremely concerning given the sharp cuts in public spending outlined in the Comprehensive Spending Review that will occur after April. Public housing orders were 69% higher than during the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter. Orders for public non-housing, which includes education, health and work on the Olympics, rose 29% during the final quarter and infrastructure orders rose 37% over the same period.
“While commercial and private housing orders remained flat, orders for industrial factories and warehouses rose by 14% during the final quarter of the year yet, overall, orders for construction work in 2010 as a whole still remained at 2009 levels. Given the extent of the public sector cuts it is essential that private sector construction picks up. The association has made a number of suggestions regarding this in advance of the Budget, such as reducing VAT on repair and maintenance work valued less than £10,000 and work that improves the Energy Performance Certificate rating of a property by 10 points. Measures such as this clearly indicate how construction can help to drive economic growth and rebalance the economy at a time when public finances are constrained.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
