28 May 2012

CBI calls for infrastructure action


Thomas Bridge

There has been little Government support of infrastructure investment and more can be done to promote opportunities in the UK, the CBI has claimed.

In its report Attracting Investment to UK Infrastructure, the CBI identified four key alterations that would encourage long-term institutional investment, especially in greenfield projects.

The credit rating for specific projects should be lifted above investment grade (BBB-), the CBI outlined. It was suggested that improvements made in credit ratings across several projects at a time would allow infrastructure to compete with other asset classes.

The report also said that the Government should encourage pension funds to invest in infrastructure, including with the establishment of a dividend tax credit targeted at new projects.

The public sector approach to infrastructure should be commercialised by installing, what the CBI term as, a single shop window to attract infrastructure investors.

The CBI emphasised that the Government needed to ensure that Solvency II did not act as a barrier to private investment.

John Cridland, CBI Director General, said that the report highlighted the significant work the Government needed to undertake to elevate UK infrastructure from its current World Economic Forum ranking of 28th.

‘With banks and institutional investors, including pension funds, working together to find new ways to fund infrastructure development, the Government must play its part by removing hurdles, and acting in a more commercial, investment-savvy way,’ he said.





Your comments

HS2 is a model of opaque patronising behaviour lacking vision. The CBI should ask why a road/rail corridor is not planned but a passenger high priced super fast link to hub at Birmingham a concept BRR decided was not feasible. CBI has not led the resistance to EU social changes displacing more British people to benefits dependancy. Analysis and policy formulation is often poorly thought through and this article fails to recognise why pension funds are weaker due to CBI inaction previously.

ChrisEaglen, Added: Tuesday, 29 May 2012 10:15 PM

I go along with Patrick Newman's sentiment except when it comes to HS2. Has France created white elephants with its wide ranging TGV schemes? The evidence is that it has opened up large areas for investment. I support HS2 - why don't we have a HS3 to Scotland next, and a HS4 via an undersea tunnel from Stranraer to Larne serving Northern Ireland?

Mel Harwood, Added: Tuesday, 29 May 2012 08:54 AM

The Coalition's obsession with the deficit means they are not thinking about investment (HS2 white elephant excepted). Their austerity programme means that we are dis-investing by default.

Patrick Newman, ex local Government, Stevenage, Added: Monday, 28 May 2012 02:36 PM



 Back     Top of page