In the Telegraph newspaper on 12 July there was a letter signed by the heads of leading construction companies calling on the government to use the construction industry to get the economy growing.

The letter came as the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show further steep declines in construction output – down 6.3% in May compared with the previous year and down 7.4% in the quarter March and May. The biggest decline was in public sector work, down 22%, reflecting the ongoing impact of government spending cuts.

Under the heading "Building the future", the letter in the Telegraph reads:

SIR – Spending on construction generates growth. The construction industry has one of the highest multipliers of any industry: every £1 invested in construction generates £2.84 in economic activity. The industry is not heavily dependent on imports, so 92p of every £1 invested in construction stays in Britain, creating British jobs. We employ one in 12 people in Britain.

Moreover, the assets we build – new roads and railways, new factories and houses, hospitals and schools – are vital to keep the British economy competitive.

Yet construction output is falling as the economy shrinks, government spending reduces and public sector projects are delayed. Even within current public sector spending restraints, there is more that could be done to stimulate construction and create growth, by speeding up decision-making and finding new ways of financing construction projects.

We want to highlight the importance of construction and its capability. That is why the country’s biggest construction firms are launching a campaign – “Creating Britain’s Future” – highlighting what this great industry can do to take the country back into growth.

Graham Cash
Chief Executive, BAM Construct UK

Steve Fox
Chief Executive, BAM Nuttall

Richard Howson
Chief Executive, Carillion

Steve Radcliffe
Managing Director, Clugston Construction

Andrew Wyllie
Chief Executive, Costain Group plc

Kevin Mouatt
CEO, D&R Group Plc

Steve Bratt
CEO, Electrical Contractors Association

Greg Fitzgerald
Chief Executive, Galliford Try

David Fison
Chief Executive, Geoffrey Osborne

John Hynes
Managing Director UK and Channel Islands, Harsco Infratsructure Services

Adrian Ringrose
Chief Executive, Interserve

David Lawther
Chief Executive Officer, ISG

Paul Sheffield
CEO, Kier Group plc

Stephen Pycroft
Chairman and Chief Executive, Mace

Keith Miller
Group Chief Executive, The Miller Group

Rod Sellers
Chairman, Seddon Group

Tom Haughey
CEO, Severfield-Rowen

Cullum McAlpine
Director, Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd

Stephen Ratcliffe
Director, UK Contractors Group

John Stanion
Chief Executive, Vinci

Alan Robertson
CEO, VolkerWessels UK

Paul Drechsler
Chairman and Chief Executive, Wates Group Ltd

Rick Willmott
Chairman, Willmott Dixon Holdings Ltd