PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS: CLOSING THE TRADE GAP

摘要

One of Construction 2025's key targets is to achieve a 50% reduction in the trade gap between total exports and total imports of construction products and materials. At the moment, the UK imports around £12bn of construction products and materials and exports £6bn. According to Noble Francis, chief economist at the Construction Products Association (CPA), imports largely follow construction output in the UK. Exports, however, fluctuate. Closing the gap by 50% will therefore require the industry to increase exports by about £3bn over the next 12 years. "If you look back to 2003 then there was a much smaller gap on the construction products side," says Francis. "So, it's not unfeasible."