With the escalation of the Covi-19 pandemic, the UK government has said that anyone who can work from home should now be working from home and all unnecessary social contact should also be avoided.
The Association for Consultancy & Engineering (ACE), which represents civil engineering consultants, has written to chancellor asking for help – or as ACE puts it “highlighting a series of proactive and positive immediate, short and medium-term measures that could be taken”.
These include a grant of up to £50,000 to SMEs in the engineering consultancy sector to give staff the tools they need to work effectively from home.
The ACE also wants more work for its members. It asks the chancellor to accelerate the pre-construction phase of government infrastructure programmes, including schools, hospitals and roads, to mitigate the downturn in private sector work.
ACE chief executive Hannah Vickers said: “Given the strategic importance of our industry to delivering the government’s clear ambitions on infrastructure, we have made some simple asks to help our members see through the uncertainty ahead. These are practical and tangible steps that could be taken now to provide much needed support, boost growth in the medium term, and ensure our sector is ready for the future.”
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