Infrastructure strategy: Hospitals and schools focus of funding push
The government will plough £10bn a year into restoring Britain’s crumbling schools, hospitals and prisons as part of a long-awaited infrastructure strategy outlining the state’s investment priorities over the next decade.
Over £6bn a year will be devoted to hospital maintenance over the next decade, in a move that the Treasury said will cut waiting times and lead to improved patient outcomes.
The government will use the bung to eliminate so-called RAAC concrete, a lightweight building material that was found to be at sudden risk of failure, from all hospital buildings.
Investment in school and college restoration will also jump to £3bn annually, while the justice department will be allocated a minimum of £600m each year to improve the state of prisons across England and Wales.
The fresh maintenance push forms part of the overall infrastructure strategy that promises to funnel £275bn of taxpayer and borrowed money into key UK infrastructure over the following 10 years, much of which was announced as part of the government’s recent Spending Review.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the plans were “crucial to unlocking growth across the country”.
“Crumbling public buildings are a sign of the decay that has seeped into our everyday lives because of a total failure to plan and invest,” she added.
“We’re not just fixing buildings – we’re enhancing public services, improving lives and creating the conditions for sustainable economic growth in communities throughout the UK.”
Quango to oversee infrastructure strategy delivery
The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), a new quango set up earlier this year, will oversee the far-reaching projects’ delivery, which the government claims will ensure the push is “joined up” across the UK.
The body will sit under the auspices of the Treasury in a bid to prevent the cost overruns that have blighted so many major infrastructure projects in Britain.
On Wednesday, the government confirmed HS2 would be delayed for at least another two years, with estimates now putting the overall cost of the mega-project at £100bn, overshooting its original budget by £37bn.
The transport secretary blasted the project as a “shambolic mess” during a speech to the House of Commons in which she revealed the delay and accepted a host of recommendations from the an independent report.
Becky Wood, the chief executive of NISTA, said: “This investment is a welcome part of the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy and will help us to address some of the challenges that our key public services have faced over recent years.
“Strategic preventative maintenance based on longer-term plans is a more effective approach than making decisions in the absence of certainty about the future – and will ensure our vital public services remain resilient and fit for purpose.”
The infrastructure strategy precedes the government’s much-anticipated 10-year industrial strategy, expected next week. Ministers have said it will look to kickstart sustained economic growth in the UK.
John Dickie, chief executive at BusinessLDN, said: “The government’s recognition that Britain needs a clear, committed, long-term pipeline of future public investment to give the private sector the confidence to invest is very welcome.
“So too is the integrated approach to funding infrastructure across government, which will help the wider public sector and private sector take a whole-place approach to driving growth.”