Contractors call for extra BSF cash from Treasury

Public cash being brought forward from future budgets should be pumped immediately into projects like Building Schools for the Future (BSF) to get them back on track.

Construction leaders are calling on the Government to carefully target money after Alistair Darling confirmed departments could raid their budgets for coming years to kickstart the economy.

A Treasury spokeswoman told CJ: "Money is available, if necessary, from future years."

Details of the spending plans will be revealed in the Pre Budget Report next month.

The Construction Confederation has singled out BSF schemes which have fallen behind schedule.

A spokesman said: "It's not a matter of advancing them, it's a matter of getting them back on track. If they managed that it would be an immediate benefit."