30 billion for construction industry

SolarCity · Nov 30, 2011

If we're going to pull the plug on industry just because they import most of their stock then the UK will never have a solar industry. Or many other industries for that matter.

Wait a minute - don't the energy companies import most of their coal?

malcolmsanford · Nov 30, 2011

BiggsSolar said:
If we're going to pull the plug on industry just because they import most of their stock then the UK will never have a solar industry. Or many other industries for that matter.

Wait a minute - don't the energy companies import most of their coal?

Don't get me started Biggs ......................:devilish:

ian.settle1 · Nov 30, 2011

moggy1968 said:
Sounds a bit like the PFI in the health service. Lets let private industry build the new hospital, then we'll rent it off them, it's bound to be cheaper. How the hell is going to be cheaper if that company is going to make a profit, it's madness!!!

Because they will manage it efficeantly and not have people running it who think there is a bottomless pit of money when ever they want it, it would be better if they got rid of 90% of managers and put the money into medical staff.

UNG · Nov 30, 2011

£30 billion! that will only cover the overspend on some projects

moggy1968 · Nov 30, 2011

ian.settle1 said:
Because they will manage it efficeantly and not have people running it who think there is a bottomless pit of money when ever they want it, it would be better if they got rid of 90% of managers and put the money into medical staff.

got to agree with you on a lot of that, but the reality is PFI ended up being a very expensive exercise in building hospitals, mostly because the Government are incapable of organising anything in a vaguely efficient way> if they ran a company the way they run the country they'd be broke in a month, oh hang on, the country is broke!!

danhartropp · Nov 30, 2011

I don't think they're talking about PFI schemes ... more likely the plan is to get private sector investment without government money, which means we're looking at the new road projects becoming toll roads to generate income.

Assuming, of course, that there are any private sector investors that want to take part - it doesn't sound like the treasury have actually asked anyone whether they's like to invest! If they're not keen, government will likely have to underwrite the risk, which means the cost will end up on the balance sheet anyway, so we'll have the profits being sent offshore while the taxpayer underwrites the risk.

So this is really just an announcement that they hope some pension funds (or the Chinese) will want to open some toll roads in the UK, but they don't really know because they haven't asked them yet. Not much of a business plan is it?