The latest worrying data from House Simple has revealed that during May, over half of the UK’s towns and cities saw their property supply fall despite overall supply gaining 4.8%. According to the report, the biggest falls in supply were seen in Southport and Loughborough, where the supply of new property listings fell 28% and 24.1% respectively. Of the areas that saw the biggest falls in supply, just under half (47%) were in the North of England. Lichfield in the West Midlands saw a huge increase of 55.8% for its new property listings in May compared to April, while Chesterfield and Rugby saw 35.7% and 32.5% respective rises in the same period. Of the areas that saw the biggest increases in supply, a third were in the Midlands. Despite an overall fall in the capital’s supply, 53% of London’s 32 boroughs saw an increase in supply last month. Waltham Forest saw property supply rise 31% month on month following an 8% increase in April – and Merton saw supply increase 30% in May following a 15% increase in April. Alex Gosling, CEO of House Simple, had this to say: “Although property supply was up in May, in large swathes of the country, the number of new properties listed fell. Could this be due to the Brexit effect? The scare tactics on both sides of the EU referendum debate are likely to be chipping away at the confidence of buyers and sellers. And with the Brexit vote less than three weeks away, we could well see a significant drop off in activity at a time when historically there is a lot of activity in the property market. On the flip side, this could actually provide an opportunity for prospective buyers, who have their finance in place and can move fast, as they may be able to negotiate a good deal with motivated sellers keen to tie up a sale before 23rd June.” Source link

21 September, 2016 By Robyn Wilson New-build and planning applications for London residential have “dropped like stones” during 2016 amid a cooling sales market, stamp duty changes and the vote to leave the EU, new research has found. Source link

Eight in 10 building engineering services firms (80 per cent) say they anticipate workplace mental health will have a greater impact on their business over the next five to 10 years, according to a new survey from the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) and Constructing Better Health.  Less than one per cent of survey respondents suggested that on-site occupational stress would actually become less important in the next ten years, while around one in five (20 per cent) believe its significance will remain the same. Of the firms who reported that they manage occupational health overall, nearly six in 10 (56 per cent) incorporate plans to tackle potential mental health issues, such as occupational stress. Around 3 in 10 respondents (31 per cent) said they found on-site mental health ‘hard to manage’, despite recognising it as a potential occupational health issue. According to ECA Director of Business Paul Reeve: “This sector-wide survey confirms that workplace mental health is an established issue, and that companies expect it to become a more significant challenge in the years ahead.   “Unlike ensuring protection against physical health hazards, employees who face mental challenges may be least able to decide or follow the right course of preventative action.  As such, managing occupational mental health can present additional challenges to companies. “The ECA looks forward to working closely with members and partners across our sector to develop advice and tools that will help contractors to manage these issues effectively”.  Tim Rook, BESA Director of Technical, comments: “Mental health is a growing issue for our industry as operatives and business owners regularly face highly pressurised work environments; tight deadlines and slim profit margins, all of which have the potential to build up stress levels. “Many feel there is no room to fail – or even pause for breath – and just ‘soldier on,’ keeping their gradually deteriorating mental state to themselves. “There is not enough training to equip people in our sector with the necessary communication and caring skills – and the very nature of mental illness makes it difficult for a technical worker to confront. This is something we, as an industry, must get to grips with as a matter of urgency.” Gerard McLaughlin, Operations Director of Constructing Better Health, adds: “Occupational mental health is a universal issue.  However, in a high stress sector like construction, the mental pressures can be a burden and dangerous. The stigma to talk openly about it is a hindrance to understanding and developing the support required. “This is why it’s so important to encourage and offer guidance to companies and their occupational health practitioners so they can provide the best service for their employees. We also need to remove the stigma of talking about mental health and inspire employees to seek support.” Some 30 per cent of the almost 400 firms who responded to the survey said that occupational mental health is a ‘significant’ hazard (although not necessarily a risk, due to the application of risk management measures), with a further 55 per cent recognising it as a ‘minor hazard’ to on site workers. Overall, respondents said that only dust and fibres, noise and manual handling were greater on-site hazards to employees than workplace mental health. Source link