This week’s latest survey from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (Cips) confirms recent warnings from the Scottish Building Federation that the rise in construction output witnessed in the early part of this year was never going to last

It is true we have previously seen limited signs of recovery in the building sector, led by the residual benefits of public capital investment accelerated into the 2009/10 Scottish budget.
But it is worth noting that, throughout that period, private commercial construction and private housebuilding have continued to struggle.

With public capital spending potentially facing huge cuts, our members remain extremely worried about the short-term outlook for their business.

Showing the weakest performance for eight months, the newest figures from Cips suggest that, unless something is done to maintain public investment, the odds on a double-dip recession in Scottish construction are now looking considerably shorter.

Michael Levack, chief executive, Scottish Building Federation

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