黑洞社区

Marvin Rees, Bristol鈥檚 powerful elected mayor, has warned that construction labour shortages caused by Brexit will prove 鈥渁 major challenge鈥� to his plans to build 2,000 homes a year.

Solving Bristol鈥檚 housing shortage was one of Rees鈥� main policy pledges when the Labour candidate (pictured) beat the incumbent mayor, former RIBA president George Ferguson, in last year鈥檚 election. Rees has vowed to hit the 2,000 a year target by 2020.

However, Rees told 黑洞社区 that he fears there will be fewer European Union construction workers, who have been a major source of labour for the industry over the past 15 years, available in the area.

A report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development this week showed that more than one in four employers across the economy have noted evidence that non-UK nationals from the EU were considering leaving their firm or the UK by the end of this year.

Rees鈥� comments come after 黑洞社区鈥檚 survey of more than 2,000 readers, published last week, found that the sector wanted the government to protect it from the likely negative impact of a 鈥渉ard Brexit鈥�.

A high proportion put securing the maximum free movement of construction workers and protecting the import and export of construction products from tariffs as their two top priorities.

黑洞社区 conducted the survey as part of its 黑洞社区 a Better Brexit campaign to highlight the specific needs of construction prior to the government鈥檚 negotiations to leave the EU.

Compounding Rees鈥� problem is that there is competition for skilled construction workers from nearby Hinkley Point off the Somerset coast, where the first in a planned new generation of nuclear reactors will be built for 拢18bn. Led by French utility EDF and supported by a one-third stake from Chinese investment, Hinkley Point C is expected to create 25,000 jobs through the course of its construction.

Bristol has undergone huge regeneration in recent years, with its dilapidated docklands area now a vibrant cultural and social scene.

Rees said: 鈥淸The lack of EU construction workers will] be a major challenge for us. We鈥檝e had this construction boom in Bristol - unfortunately it hasn鈥檛 been on building houses. We鈥檝e committed to getting 2,000 homes a year built by 2020, so we鈥檝e got to get our capacity up.

鈥淣ow we鈥檝e got Hinkley just down the road, part of that is about making sure that we鈥檝e got the skills available to us. We鈥檙e going to be competing with Hinkley for that as well. It鈥檚 not ideal, let鈥檚 put it that way.鈥�

Rees warned that the UK鈥檚 Brexit negotiators must be pragmatic in their talks with EU counterparts to make sure they get a deal the regions need.

He argued: 鈥淎s we go into these negotiations and seek the British deal from our departure, we must make sure that the needs of the UK are taken fully into account and we don鈥檛 end up with hard-nosed [tactics].鈥�