An alarming investigation by has revealed the dire state of England’s public infrastructure, with over 1.5 million schoolchildren studying in dangerously dilapidated buildings and critical services across the NHS and courts system in urgent need of repair.
Years of chronic underinvestment have left schools, hospitals, prisons, and courts teetering on the brink, endangering the lives of those who rely on them.
Data compiled from government departments paints a grim picture of neglect, with one in six schools requiring major work and nearly half of those deemed unsafe or ageing. Schools in Cumbria, for example, have faced evacuation after inspectors found floors at risk of imminent collapse.
The issue extends beyond education. The NHS faces a maintenance backlog of £13.8 billion, a figure that has more than tripled since 2012.
Among these, nearly £3 billion of repairs are classified as “high risk,” posing immediate threats to patients and staff. In Sutton, hospitals have been found with mud seeping through floors and masking tape holding windows in place.
Public Infrastructure in Crisis
The investigation highlights the scale of the problem, with decades of underfunding and poor project management exacerbating the situation.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the Public Accounts Committee, criticized the government’s short-term thinking, warning of mounting costs and the potential for catastrophic failures.
“Some of our nation’s hospitals are in a desperate state, with props holding up floors that cannot even bear the weight of patients,” he said. “Proper maintenance of public buildings cannot continue to be seen as a non-urgent matter.”
The Midlands Hit Hardest
The crisis is particularly acute in the Midlands, where 30% of schools are classified as unsafe or plagued with defects.
Despite the introduction of a school rebuilding program in 2022, progress has been slow. Of the 50 schools slated for rebuilding annually, only 24 projects had been completed by September 2024.
NHS and Courts Fail to Cope
NHS England data underscores the severe challenges facing hospitals, with one-third of sites requiring urgent repairs to prevent clinical disruptions or serious injury. Meanwhile, in the courts system, only 1% of buildings were deemed to be in good condition as of October 2024.
In prisons, the situation is equally dire. More than a fifth of the 100 prisons inspected reported serious maintenance issues or inhumane living conditions, impacting nearly 20,000 inmates.
Government Response and Expert Warnings
The government has acknowledged the issues but shifted blame to previous administrations. A spokesperson stated, “We are taking immediate action to remedy the state of disrepair found in our public estate, which has been neglected over the previous years.”
However, experts argue that systemic failures, including poor project management and underutilized budgets, are compounding the crisis.
Nick Davies, of the Institute for Government, described the situation as “a decades-long history of underinvestment,” warning that rushed spending at year-end further undermines efforts to modernize facilities.
The findings come amid growing calls for significant investment to address the mounting safety risks, with advocates urging ministers to prioritize public infrastructure to prevent further endangerment of lives.
