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The small print in chancellor Alistair Darling鈥檚 report, which confirmed funding for the 拢16.9bn Crossrail scheme and rail electrification programmes, said public sector net investment would fall from 拢49.5bn this year to just 拢22bn in 2013/14. However, the figures also showed spending this year had been higher than previously predicted (see below).

Alistair Darling

The net investment figure includes other expenses, such as government IT schemes, but it is seen as a good indicator of where construction spend is heading.

Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association, said: 鈥淭his is particularly worrying, given recent findings that the country benefits by 拢2.84 for every pound spent on construction. Given what鈥檚 required, it鈥檚 disappointing.鈥�

Darling also announced:

• An 鈥淚nfrastructure UK鈥� unit, which will co-ordinate all infrastructure projects
• A cut of 拢340m in spending on regeneration and housing growth to pay for health and education
• Four pilot carbon capture coal-fired power stations
• The end of stamp-duty relief on homes costing less than 拢175,000
• A 拢500m Growth Capital Fund to support small businesses
• A plan to replace 125,000 inefficient household boilers through a scrappage scheme.

The infrastructure unit, which will sit within the Treasury, will combine the functions of Partnerships UK, the Treasury鈥檚 PFI team and the 拢2bn Treasury Infrastructure Finance Unit, set up in April to kickstart 拢13bn of struggling PFI schemes.

Treasury officials said the new body would focus on drawing up a long-term plan to identify how to prioritise spending on infrastructure, and how to pay for it. It will look immediately at funding options for the proposed high-speed rail link between London and the Midlands, and how to fund low-carbon infrastructure.

Fiona McDermott, head of construction for KPMG, said: 鈥淚f this new body works it could be a really good thing, but it will require a lot of organisation in a very complex area.鈥�

Behind the numbers

The numbers in the report are interesting, writes Brian Green. The public sector net investment figures show the extent to which the government is propping up the building sector, spending more than it said it would in the Budget for the financial years up to 2010-11.

The figures show net investment of 拢45.3bn in 2008-09, compared with 拢37.7bn estimated in the Budget. The 2009-10 figures are 拢49.5bn against 拢43.8bn. This suggests the government is pumping money into construction faster and intends to do so for a year or so more.

But the extra money suggests a larger fall when it comes. In 2011-12 public sector net investment drops to 拢29bn. This then falls to 拢22bn in 2013/14.

More worrying, the projections are based on what many would say were optimistic growth forecasts.