THE construction sector in Glasgow and surrounding areas is under-threat as a result of Covid-19.

Analysis by Glasgow City Region’s intelligence hub found there are “significant risks” to businesses in the industry.

Kevin Rush, the region’s director of economic growth, told City Region cabinet members, from eight councils across Glasgow and the Clyde Valley, the findings were “particularly disappointing”.

He said there would be “inevitable delays” due to the pandemic.

“After years of maybe looking at the likes of Manchester and being envious of the crane count there, suddenly in the City Region there was a substantial amount of construction going on,” he said.

“A lot of our economic growth in recent years has been heavily driven by the construction sector.”

Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken asked about the impact of lockdown on the construction industry and the “infrastructure focused” City Deal – a more than £1billion investment in the eight council areas by the Scottish and UK Governments.

She asked what the “lag” will be like as work gets under way again.

Mr Rush said: “There obviously has been a bit of a lag which has had an impact on projects, particularly those at the construction phase.

“I think in the longer term there will be inevitable delays across the board. Just now we do not understand what that is going to look like.

“But that is not going to be unique to us. I think the implications for the construction industry of Covid are kind of unknown.”

He added: “It is an industry that is particularly vulnerable to what is happening just now.”

A plan of all future public sector infrastructure projects will be drawn up to give the construction industry more confidence post Covid-19.

The “key message” from construction companies, during teleconference sessions on capital investment programme recovery in June, was the sector is “under severe threat across Scotland”.

A report to the City Region cabinet said: “To help sustain businesses, the sector is seeking more information from the public sector on the pipeline of capital projects which is planned for the coming years, in order that they can provide their investors/lenders with confidence of a future pipeline.”

Cabinet members agreed all schemes should be collated and the information shared with construction sector bodies and utility companies. It is hoped the work will be complete by December this year.

The City Region includes East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire councils.