A staggering maintenance backlog valued at 49 billion pounds ($60 billion) has accumulated across schools, hospitals, and prisons in the UK, according to a report released on Wednesday by

the National Audit Office (NAO). The findings underscore the growing strain on public services due to constrained public finances.

Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is under increasing pressure to reduce government spending, but her options are limited. Fiscal rules restrict borrowing, and there is hesitance to further raise taxes after significant increases were implemented last October.

The NAO cautioned that delaying maintenance projects could result in even greater costs in the future.
"Allowing large maintenance backlogs to build up at the buildings used to deliver essential public services is a false economy," said Gareth Davies, head of the NAO.

The Labour government, which came to power last July after 14 years of Conservative Party rule, attributed the backlog to "long-term underinvestment" by the previous administration.

Responding to the report, a Cabinet Office spokesperson stated that the government is taking immediate measures to address the issue. "We are already investing billions of pounds to deliver critical repairs and rebuild our public services," the spokesperson said.

Despite these assurances, the NAO noted that the actual cost of remediation could be significantly higher than current estimates, citing incomplete and outdated data on the condition of public properties.

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, a Conservative lawmaker and chair of the Public Accounts Committee, urged the government to take decisive action. "The cycle of short-term thinking, dither, and delay must be broken urgently," he said.

The report revealed that the Ministry of Defence faces the largest maintenance backlog, amounting to 15.3 billion pounds. Schools and hospitals followed closely, each with a backlog of 13.8 billion pounds.