The UK’s infrastructure spending boom was already fizzling out before the Brexit vote, according to a survey of civil engineering firms that shows a slowdown in activity and order books leading up to the EU referendum.
In the latest evidence that the referendum has hit business confidence and investment plans, there was also a drop in sentiment and hiring expectations among the companies that build and maintain infrastructure such as roads, railways and the energy supply.
A poll by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association showed that six out of 10 subsectors reported falling workloads in the three months to the end of June, compared with the same period a year earlier. From the 101 companies surveyed, a net balance of 2% said workloads had risen in the latest quarter, a sharp decline from 20% in the previous quarter and the weakest result for three years.
