Housebuilders are criticised over their decision to cut payments to sub-contractors

The Construction Confederation has become the latest body to condemn housebuilder’s decision to cut payments to sub-contractors.

The confederation received complaints from members of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) after the National Specialist Contractors Council (NSCC) condemned the move.

Stephen Ratcliffe, chief executive of the Construction Confederation, said: “It is regrettable that some major housebuilders have chosen to take this action.

“While it is understandable they may want to seek economies and cut future costs through efficiency savings, it is clearly unfair to try to impose reductions retrospectively on existing agreements.

“This is not the way to build long-term partnerships and flies in the face of what the industry has been working so hard to achieve in recent years.”