FOI REF: FOI-2023-1403
You asked
Please can I request:
The number of actively trading groundworks contractors in the UK
The number of actively trading main contractors in the UK.
The number of construction sites that required waste removal by tipper/grab lorries in the UK in 2022/2021/2020
We said
Thank you for your request.
Please see the following link to the latest Construction Statistics Annual Tables.
Table 3.2 shows the number of firms, by trade of firm for numerous activities classified by the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC). So, for example in relation to groundworks you can find the number of firms within Demolition, or site preparation by year. Please note that these figures relate to Great Britain rather than the United Kingdom.
It should also be noted that a firm (or business) is structured based on information included on the ONS Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) – this is the sampling frame used by ONS to carry out its surveys. Businesses are classified to the IDBR based on information obtained from Value Added Tax (VAT) records, and/or, Pay as your Earn (PAYE) records. It is therefore possible that the definition of contractors and businesses will not be consistent and therefore our data will show a wider picture of the economy.
Table 3.2 also shows the total number of trading businesses in Great Britain; however we do not hold any information on the 3rd question. For more information on Construction activity you can contact the team directly via email at Construction.Statistics@ons.gov.uk or further information on UK Business Demography and the IDBR can be found here.