The PFI contracts bankrupting our schools are coming back to haunt Labour

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The consequences of years and years of underinvestment are now being seen across the country

Over the course of the past two decades, I’ve visited maybe hundreds of schools. They don’t exactly blur into one, but I certainly couldn’t tell you specific anecdotes from every trip.

It soon emerged that this was not a one-off. The whole PFI thing had resulted in the education system being littered with utterly farcical contractual obligations –It was ultimately a way of financing public-sector projects through the private sector. It allowed for a vast array of investment in public sector infrastructure but meant that long-term contracts were drawn up between private investors and public bodies.

PFI has not been considered an unalloyed success. Even before these ridiculous stories about schools shelling out for things they don’t even need, many education leaders warned that the construction standards were shabby because contractors were only motivated to ensure their buildings stayed upright for the life of the contract.

The problem for governments of whatever colour is that dilapidated classrooms are so much more tangible than teacher shortages or other funding cuts, which most heads do their best to shield from the mums and dads at the school gates.

 

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