The CBI/KPMG 2013 Infrastructure Survey has just been published, and it calls out the government on all their rhetoric and lack of action in getting infrastructure projects going. The survey was carried out with 526 respondents, from investors to providers and users of infrastructure. Here are some of the most depressing highlights from the report:
- Two thirds of companies believe the coalition's policies will have either a negative (38%) or no (27%) impact on infrastructure investment
- 51% viewed the UK's transport infrastructure as below average in an international context
- 44% have no confidence that UK transport will improve in the next five year
- 45% of all infrastructure providers have either not heard of or not looked at the National Infrastructure Plan (NIP)
- 41% of infrastructure providers view the Green Investment Bank as ineffective
- 38% of construction companies rate PF2 as unlikely to have any impact
- 71% of firms see planning as a significant barrier to the development of infrastructure in the UK
In conclusion, business confidence in the government to deliver on its infrastructure ambitions is low, and given there's only 18 months left in this Parliament, it's probably not going to rise.