Local authorities are experiencing significant delays to privately-financed building projects because of the recession, despite government attempts to kick-start the sector. Evidence emerged this week that school and hospital building projects, as well as smaller council projects, are being delayed across the UK as the recession hits the construction and banking sectors hard. Chris Wilson, director of 4Ps, which promotes local government's private finance programmes, said: ‘Too many projects are chasing too little money.' A senior Whitehall source told The MJ that some delays were ‘minor'. Chancellor, Alistair Darling, announced a £3bn ‘fiscal stimulus' package in the pre- Budget report last year, but that cash had mostly been used to support smaller private finance deals. Treasury officials are considering a further injection of cash into the market to sustain larger projects.
