At last, Government actively promotes benefits of infrastructure

Nelson Ogunshakin
23 April 2014

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Cameron and Osborne’s decision to emphasise the value of infrastructure to the economy this week is an important positive step, says Nelson Ogunshakin.

Who would have thought it? Positive collaboration works. Government does, sometimes, listen. The National Infrastructure Strategic Engagement Forum (NIPSEF), which I co-chair with Danny Alexander, has been imploring the government since its inception to adopt a more optimistic tone when discussing infrastructure, and that is what we saw yesterday from the Prime Minister and Chancellor.

True, there was not a lot of ‘new meat’ in yesterday’s announcement, that 2014 will see around 200 projects worth a total of £36bn and a £38bn five-year rail investment programme, get underway. Also, much of the coverage was over-shadowed by events further north where someone in Manchester lost their job. Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne could not be held responsible for the vagaries of the news cycle, however, and it was more about the type of message being put across than its content.

For a long time, the public response to the news that a new project was being undertaken has been to question whether it was needed, would it be delivered on time, on budget, or at all. Recent experience suggests the UK has some examples that could fuel this scepticism. This attitude was something we identified in NIPSEF a long time ago as something that had to change, otherwise vital infrastructure would continue to be subject to the whims of unscrupulous politicians looking for a bandwagon to help their careers.

"More announcements of this type will be needed, highlighting the benefits and consequences, as well as detailed and honest reports on the progress of projects, and clear accountability should there be time or budget overruns."

The truth around infrastructure is that the UK has some amazing stories it can tell. Just look at the success of the Olympics, how it was delivered on time and on budget, and the positive glow the country felt during that once in a lifetime event. Or Crossrail, currently in the process of construction but again on time, on budget, and promising to deliver much-needed capacity to London’s crowded tube network.

The story is the same with the announcement yesterday. 200 projects that will see £36bn invested in the UK’s infrastructure, creating as many as 150,000 jobs in the construction sector, and more in other sectors when the projects are complete. As the Prime Minister said, “Ensuring Britain has first class infrastructure is a crucial part of our long term economic plan: supporting business, creating jobs and providing a better future for hardworking people."

There is still plenty more of this kind of approach needed if the public is to adopt a more positive default position when it comes to considering infrastructure. More announcements of this type will be needed, highlighting the benefits and consequences, as well as detailed and honest reports on the progress of projects, and clear accountability should there be time or budget overruns.

There are a great many aspects to the debate on infrastructure and this issue around communication is just one, but it is one on which the government, through NIPSEF, seems to have got the message.

Nelson Ogunshakin is chief executive of the Association for Consultancy & Engineering