# Rebuilding Britain: the infrastructure crisis

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/academy-of-ideas-740460/rebuilding-britain-the-infrastructure-crisis
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/academy-of-ideas-740460/rebuilding-britain-the-infrastructure-crisis.md
Podcast: [Academy of Ideas](https://stenobird.com/podcast/academy-of-ideas-740460)
Published: 2026-06-08T11:28:00+00:00
Episode link: https://InstituteofIdeas1.podbean.com/e/rebuilding-britain-the-infrastructure-crisis/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/ejw4n45bge67ucc9/4_Rebuilding_Britain_the_infrastructure_crisisaahwn.mp3
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Duration seconds: 5592

## Resource

Recorded at the Battle of Ideas festival 2025 on Saturday 18 October at Church House and the Abbey Centre, Westminster. ORIGINAL INTRODUCTION The UK’s infrastructure is at a crossroads. Decades of underinvestment and misdirected investment have left transport networks congested, energy systems under strain, digital connectivity patchy, sewers clogged, towns flooded, bridges crumbling and housing targets seemingly unattainable. The government promises £1.5million new homes and yet we are faced with a major slowdown in the construction industry, a situation not helped by local resistance and bureaucratic inertia. The situation is further restrained by a lack of adequate support systems like schools, colleges, hospitals, and even courts and prisons. Cost overruns on projects like HS2 erode public trust, but day-to-day staff shortages, engineering works, train cancellations and leaves on the line are what really frustrate commuters. Grenfell Tower was a national tragedy, but spending billions on recladding buildings and funding bureaucratic regulators – instead of training builders to construct sufficient, affordable homes for those in need – seems inexplicable. Planning laws, environmental concerns, over-regulation, risk aversion, litigiousness and insurance liabilities have exacerbated the problem. But what is the actual problem? To be fair, this year, Keir Starmer announced that the government would ‘push past nimbyism’ to get things done. Although tangible evidence has yet to materialise, recent ministerial pledges have included the desire to streamline planning, kickstart New Towns and boost energy provision. In August, the government announced a £130million package to help create 40,000 jobs in the construction sector So maybe we are not giving credit where it’s due.…

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## Transcript

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