Стоимость правительственных инфраструктурных проектов в Великобритании превысит экономическую выгоду на 320 млрд фунтов

The whole life cost of delivering the Government’s Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) is expected to be £320.6bn more than the estimated economic benefits the 189 schemes will bring. NCE analysed the findings of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority’s (Nista) Major Projects Annual Report 2025/2026, which was published on 13 July. It includes a Delivery Confidence Assessment providing an update on the status of all 189 projects in the GMPP, where the latest edition details how 29 projects were rated Green, 109 Amber, and 34 Red, with 17 projects exempt from a rating. Nista’s update also includes the estimated whole life cost of each scheme and its projected monetary benefit to the UK economy. The 2025-26 portfolio comprises projects with a combined whole life cost of £924.2bn, compared to £603.6bn of “monetised benefits over the lifetime of each project,” the report reads. Nista stressed these comparisons should not be interpreted as value-for-money assessments, because many projects deliver benefits that cannot be meaningfully expressed in financial terms. It defended the apparent disparity by stating that it is impossible to accurately provide a “meaningful” monetary projection for the benefits each project will yield. Providing information to NCE, Nista further discussed how this is particularly so for projects led by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). MoD projects alone account for £305bn of the GMPP and Nista has stated the report’s cost and benefit figures should therefore be read in that context and not as an indication the projects are failing to deliver value for money. Nista further detailed how the difficulty in accurately monetising the benefits of public goods and projects delivering public value extends beyond defence to other areas including justice, health and life sciences. A Nista spokesperson told NCE: “It is not possible to meaningfully reduce to a single cash figure the benefits of some projects, particularly those led by the MoD which account for around a third of the whole life cost of the GMPP portfolio. “In an increasingly volatile world, with the UK facing new and complex threats that require a robust and modern response, the safety and security of the nation are beyond price.” The organisation further pointed out how it is important to note that all monetary cost and benefit figures in this year’s Major Projects Annual Report have been presented in real terms for the first time. This is to enable accurate tracking of progress and impact over time, Nista confirmed. Where necessary, Nista has converted the figures provided by departments to accommodate this by using base year 24/25 deflators from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This approach means values in the annual report are not directly comparable to figures in previous reports. Nista’s report states: “GMPP projects aim to provide innovative and meaningful benefits to the UK, many of which have no real or estimated market price. “For example, out of the 38 Military Capability projects worth a combined whole life cost of £305.1bn, only one reported benefits this year due to the inherent complexity in monetising national security benefits.” Projects To provide extra detail beyond the figures of the whole GMPP, NCE has used Nista’s data to calculate the differences in how much certain projects will cost compared, to how much economic benefit they are due to provide. For instance, the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) is expected to cost just over £11bn but will only provide close to £3bn of monetised benefits, according to Nista’s report. Another example is the Lower Thames Crossing (LTC). Although Nista’s states the project’s estimated whole life cost is close to £9bn, recent estimates put it close to £11bn, but Nista’s projected monetised benefits sit just over £3bn. However, a scheme projected to provide more benefit than it is due to cost is the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra’s) Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management. Nista’s projections put the whole life cost of the scheme around £4.6bn, but the monetary benefit sits at close to £22bn. Like what you've read? To receive New Civil Engineer's daily and weekly newsletters click here.