An investment initiative worth £100bn has been unveiled by the Government in order to provide a boost to major infrastructure schemes and ultimately kick-start growth in the economy.
Residential property, as well as schools, homes, energy and roads were among the programmes outlined by Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury. If the programme is implemented, there could be an abundance of work available for tradesmen, including joiners and builders, in the Wirral area.
He said that the plans include the largest public housing initiative in two decades, the biggest road building package since the 1970s and a rail investment which rivals that of the Victorians.
He went on to say that the long-term aim of building an infrastructure to make Britain proud is an ambitious one and demonstrates that the Government is thinking towards the future.
The plans have been welcomed by business leaders but they did warn that they need to be implemented quickly. The Chamber of Commerce policy director, Dr. Adam Marshall, said:
“Infrastructure projects are too often promised and too rarely delivered in this country, and that cycle must be broken.”
“If these announcements are to translate into short-term confidence, medium-term construction jobs and long-term competitiveness, the Whitehall machine must be judged by the number of diggers on the ground, not strategies and press notices.”
The plans include over £70bn of transport investment, £10bn in housing, flood defence strategies and more than £20bn to be invested in schools. It came on the heels of George Osborne announcing plans to cut an additional £11.5bn from other Whitehall expenditure in 2015/16, due to poor growth.
