ROOF Blog

With the largest council housebuilding programme for nearly two decades already underway, housing minister John Healey has doubled government cash for new council homes. Mr Healey announced 73 councils covering every region of England will share an extra £122.6m. Councils will match this second round government grant bringing investment in this round to £246m, and total public investment in the programme as a whole to over £500m to build more than 4,000 new council homes for 8,000 people. In a clear break with council houses of the past, Mr Healey also confirmed that many will be new family homes, whilst all will be highly energy efficient and add to the mixed make-up of local neighbourhoods.

Construction activity fell in December for the 22nd month in a row as a surge in housing was offset by a sharp decline in commercial building. The construction purchasing managers’ index, where any level below 50 signals a drop in business activity, rose slightly to 47.1 from 47 last month. ‘December was another disappointing month for the UK construction sector. Unlike other parts of the economy, it seems unable to escape the shackles of the recession,’ said David Noble, chief executive of the Chartered Institute for Purchasing and Supply. ‘Purchasing managers painted a bleak picture as firms suffered from reduced client demand and falls in new business.’