Housing drop is alarming says new boss

THE new president of the Scottish Building Federation’s Dundee and Angus Association is to campaign for more public investment in construction projects.

Karen Nicoll, who succeeds David Shepherd, is a director with Carnoustie family business D J Laing (Contracts) Ltd and takes up her SBF post at the same time as latest statistics show completion of publicly-funded homes in the areas dropped by 58% over the four years to June 2012. Dundee City Council is anticipating a 51% drop in capital investment over the five years to 2016 while capital spending by Angus Council is expected to be 14% lower.
Nicoll said: “It is a real honour that members have placed their trust in me during what continue to be such challenging times for the construction industry.
“I recognise the huge challenge local authorities across Scotland currently face in delivering core services at a time when public funding is being drastically cut. But it’s alarming to see the rate of public sector new house building in Dundee and Angus has fallen so dramatically when demand for new homes is at a record high.
“What is more, many construction firms in Dundee and Angus are in desperate need of a pipeline of new work to sustain local employment opportunities within the industry. In this context, cutting back capital investment over the coming years would be disastrous for the local economy.”