There have been a number of recent announcements of significant investments in our economic infrastructure.

A welcome range of energy, road, rail and flood defence projects are being developed, both by regulated utilities and central government. However, investment in social infrastructure such as schools, health facilities and social housing has received less attention. There is a pressing need to invest in these areas; not just in maintaining existing buildings, but also in providing new ones.

This is difficult at a time of significant constraints on public sector capital. However, there is a wide array of alternative financing models available which could be used to secure this investment. The challenge is to understand where these can be deployed and to ensure their benefits are fully evaluated.