Commenting on a government commitment announced today (Thursday) to invest £9bn a year to fix crumbling schools, hospitals and prisons, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“Years of inaction have left public buildings in a shocking state.
“Dilapidated hospitals and schools in disrepair are no longer safe places for patients, pupils and staff. And that’s a huge problem.
“But this investment can start to put things right and fix unsafe structures, fill cracks, stop leaks and remove hazardous materials.
“Rebuilding is a high priority. The work can’t start a moment too soon.
“Funding for new homes will mean public service workers can live near where they work, so long commutes become a thing of the past.
“When a previous Labour government made major investments in public buildings, they involved the damaging public finance initiative.
“Many bodies are still paying the price for that, with considerable debt. It’s important to avoid repeating mistakes of the past that have saddled taxpayers with vastly inflated costs.”
Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in the NHS, education, local government, the police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Dan Ashley M: 07789 518992 M E: d.ashley@unison.co.uk
The article Investment in public buildings can’t come soon enough first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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