Rayner's reforms fail to halt further slide in construction

CONSTRUCTION activity suffered a further decline and confidence in the sector is low despite Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's planning reforms getting a thumbs-up from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

- By Mauricio Alencar

Rayner's Ministry of Housing is introducing changes to planning rules in the hope of giving the construction sector an extra boost.

The reforms have won the approval of the fiscal watchdog, which upgraded growth forecasts for 2026 onwards.

But optimism is yet to spread to construction firms which have seen the fastest reduction in employment numbers in nearly five years, according to S&P Global's purchasing managers' index.