UK Gov't Slated as a Third of Projects at Risk of Not Being Completed

The UK's spending watchdog has hit out at the government's poor management of major infrastructure projects, with a report finding that a third of projects due to be completed over the next five years won't be finished in time unless drastic action is taken.

The National Audit Office (NAO) identified 37 of 106 projects that were "at risk" of not being completed in the next five years, due to high staff turnover, poor risk management and fears of spiralling budgets.Latest NAO report: Delivering major projects in government: a briefing for the @CommonsPAC https://t.co/OvHqBgcbzT

— NationalAuditOffice (@NAOorguk) January 6, 2016

Over one--third of government projects finishing by 2020 are in doubt or unachievable says the National Audit Office pic.twitter.com/jbdHA00vr9

— Noble Francis (@NobleFrancis) January 6, 2016

​Of the government's plans for certain projects, the NAO report said there was a history of "unrealistic expectations and over-optimism" with many infrastructure proposals either "unachievable" or "in-doubt" within their stated guidelines.

The estimated value of the projects over their lifespan was US$747 billion (£511 billion" and spending for 2015-16 would reach US$37 billion (£25 billion), according to the NAO.

In an indictment of the Conservative government, which has placed an increased emphasis on the importance of infrastructure projects to drive the UK's economy, the report said the public sector has a "poor record on delivering projects successfully" warning that a disappointing lack of oversight was hindering progress.

The findings concluded that various government departments have responded poorly to recommendations made to improve efficiency and performance on a number of major projects such as the highly-publicized HS2 rail link connecting London to many northern English cities and efforts to introduce universal welfare credit.

The report also raises questions over the ability of the public sector to complete such projects within time and budget deadlines.

While the latest findings didn't specifically refer to what projects were "red" or "amber-red" and at risk of not being completed, there has been controversy over a number of government-initiated works, with debate on whether they will be completed on time and in budget.

£1,558,453,211,489 // current UK Public Sector Net Debt // https://t.co/Aekf5yoEuC

— UK Debt Clock (@UKDebtClock) January 6, 2016

​Among the projects that encountered difficulty was the UK Health Department's Better Care Fund, which was originally designed to support the National Health Service (NHS) from becoming overwhelmed.

The overly ambitious proposal was delayed in 2014 after an internal review found it would not help balance the NHS budget or improve patient care as expected.

Another high-profile project that has suffered serious delays is the construction of a nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point, which has suffered a series of delays in its decade-long planning process.

#Hinkley nuclear project may fail to meet budget target: so more than current £18bn for disastrous white elephant? https://t.co/N4GbKWdY2B

— Molly MEP (@MollyMEP) January 6, 2016

​Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said that while government departments and authorities had made "a number of positive steps," there was widespread concern over the future of a number of UK public projects.

"I am concerned that a third of projects monitored by the Authority are red or amber-red and the overall picture of progress on project performance is opaque," she said.

"More effort is needed if the success rate of project delivery is to improve."