Building a home or adding a home extension in England now costs far more than it did five years ago, and working people feel it twice.
First through higher prices for essentials like bricks, concrete, timber and glass. Then again through delays, cancelled jobs, and fewer stable construction hours when projects do not stack up.
Let us start with the basic inflation backdrop.
Between December 2020 and December 2025, the Consumer Prices Index* rose from 109.2 to 140.1. That is a rise of about 28 per cent in five years. Construction materials have been even more volatile. This volatility is a significant factor as UK inflation pushes to 3.5%, squeezing both contractors and homeowners.
Government building materials data shows the materials price index for “all work” was still rising, up 3.0 per cent in the year to November 2025, and key product flows remain unstable.
England also has a housing delivery gap that keeps pressure on prices. Official figures show England added 208,600 net additional dwellings in 2024 to 2025, down 6 per cent on the previous year.
At the same time, the government has restated a target of 1.5 million homes in England by the end of the parliament, which means keeping output consistently higher than recent delivery.
When new builds are uncertain, households increasingly try to improve what they have. Output data shows private housing repair and maintenance has been a major swing factor, including a reported 5.6 per cent rise over the three months to August 2025, before later falling again as budgets tightened.
Even applying to extend a home has become more expensive. From April 2025, the standard householder planning fee for alterations and extensions in England more than doubled to £528 from £258.
The Problem of Import Dependence
England’s builders are exposed to global price shocks because too much supply is bought in. Government trade data shows imports of bricks were 316 million in 2024, and in recent years imports have made up just under 20 per cent of the United Kingdom brick market. If domestic production is mothballed when demand dips, England pays again when demand returns and imports fill the gap.
Looking ahead, costs are not projected to fall back to 2020 levels. Building Cost Information Service forecasts building costs rising 15 per cent over the next five years and tender prices rising 17 per cent. That means without intervention, more people will struggle to afford extensions, repairs, and home improvements, and some housing schemes will simply not happen.
A Straightforward Demand
The Workers of England Union campaign demand is straightforward.
Public housing and infrastructure contracts in England must be tied to domestic materials production and proper skills deals. If a site is building hundreds of homes, it should be required to carry apprentices in meaningful numbers and to buy from domestic producers where capacity exists. Otherwise, England will keep paying twice, once for higher materials, and again for stalled homes and insecure work.
Stephen Morris, General Secretary of the Workers of England Union, said:
“The cost of building homes in England has been driven up by years of underinvestment in our own materials and skills. Working people pay first through higher prices for bricks, cement and timber, and then again when projects stall, jobs are cut and apprenticeships disappear. House building and infrastructure contracts must back domestic production and training of skills, otherwise England will keep paying more and getting less.”
References
- Office for National Statistics, Consumer Prices Index time series (D7BT), 2020-2025
- Department for Business and Trade, Building materials and components statistics (2025)
- Department for Levelling Up, Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England 2024-2025
- Building Cost Information Service, Construction industry forecast (4Q2025)
* The Consumer Prices Index measures how much the cost of everyday goods and services has risen over time, showing whether wages and household incomes are keeping up with prices.
This Article is Tagged under:
Inflation, WEU Campaign, Cost of Living
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