Overview

• The National Audit Office (NAO) reports a maintenance backlog of at least £49 billion across schools, hospitals, prisons, and other public buildings in the UK.
• The backlog has tripled over six years, hindering NHS treatment, school teaching, and the justice system, with over 5,400 clinical service incidents annually linked to infrastructure failures.
• Schools, NHS properties, and Ministry of Defence buildings account for 88% of the backlog, with individual repair costs exceeding £13 billion for each sector.
• The NAO warns that poor data and short-term budgeting practices exacerbate the problem, with the true repair costs potentially being ten times higher than current estimates.
• Government officials acknowledge the crisis and have pledged billions for critical repairs, but critics highlight the need for long-term planning to prevent further spiraling costs.