Government’s maintenance backlog hits £49 Billion

The National Audit Office (NAO) has revealed that the UK government’s maintenance backlog for its properties is at least £49 billion. The report highlights that key public services, including schools, hospitals, and prisons, are affected by poor building conditions, which in turn impact service delivery.

The Ministry of Defence, NHS, and schools account for most of the backlog, with each having over £10 billion in maintenance needs. Together, these three sectors represent 88% of the total backlog. Other public buildings, such as prisons and job centres, contribute to the remaining 12%. The full cost of the backlog is likely much higher, with the government’s property data being incomplete and outdated, the report states.

The NAO found that property failures have led to significant issues in service delivery. For instance, in the NHS, 5,400 clinical service incidents occur annually due to infrastructure failures. Poor property condition also affects staff productivity and retention, as well as the government’s ability to meet environmental targets.

The backlog has been growing steadily for at least a decade, with NHS England's backlog rising by an average of £800 million annually between 2013-14 and 2022-23. The cost of maintenance has risen, and historical underinvestment, coupled with the impact of the pandemic, has worsened the situation.

In response, the government has begun efforts to improve its understanding of the condition of its properties. The Office of Government Property (OGP) is implementing a new data collection system, InSite, which is expected to be fully operational by March 2025.

Commenting of the report, Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, stressed the need for better planning: "Allowing large maintenance backlogs to build up at the buildings used to deliver essential public services is a false economy. Government needs better data on the condition of its operational assets and should use it to plan efficient maintenance programmes to deliver better services and value for money."

To address the issue, the NAO recommends a series of actions, including standardising definitions of maintenance backlogs across government departments and producing long-term property plans that detail capital needs and strategies to reduce backlogs.

With the government’s property holdings valued at £187 billion as of March 2023, tackling the backlog will require both immediate action and long-term planning to ensure that public services are not compromised further.