20,000 Scottish construction jobs at risk under new funding programme

Delays in launching the Scottish Futures Trust will lead to the loss of 20,000 construction jobs by Christmas, the Scottish Building Federation has warned.

Councils have accused the new public infrastructure policy of log-jamming building programmes.

The councils claim they have not commissioned any new schools for 19 months as the Scottish government tries to set up the not-for-profit programme.

As a result, the Federation told the government: “The Scottish construction industry is losing capacity at an alarming rate.

“Our members estimate 20,000 jobs will have been lost across the whole industry by Christmas.”

Neil Fletcher, vice-chairman of local government body Cosla, said councils did not expect the Trust to start operating until 2010-11.

One council officer told the Scotsman: “It is an open secret that we are all queuing at the door desperately waiting to find out what is going on.

“We don’t know the details of the Scottish Futures Trust, what the funding mechanism actually is and when it will start.”

But the government hit back, insisting it was bringing forward new projects totalling £3.5bn this financial year.