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The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has written to prime minister Boris Johnson to warn that the construction industry faces “unprecedented challenges” in the event of a shutdown to slow the spread of coronavirus.
The CLC has urged Johnson to provide a package of support measures to support construction firms, which it points out, is responsible for 12-14% of GDP and employs 3.3 million people.
It has requested that the government:
- Ensures all construction sites across the UK are able to remain open, as long as they are able to do so responsibly.
- Instructs all public sector construction clients to continue to pay their contractors and supply chain.
- Consider implementing financial measures, such as the deferral of VAT & PAYE payments, that will reduce the burden on business and keep cash moving as long as possible.
The letter, signed by CLC co-chair Andy Mitchell and co-signed by the chief executives of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, Build UK, the Federation of Master Builders, and fully supported by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) said: “Our requirement is that we are able to keep our construction sites operational during this time, in order to avoid many thousands of job losses, the closure of thousands of businesses and delays and cost increases on crucial programmes and projects.
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