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| Russian suburban homes in 2005 |
Yesterday’s Telegraph ran a piece about how the Houses of
Parliament are in such a poor state of repair that they are in danger of burning
down. It seems that the £50million annual maintenance budget is
insufficient to halt long term deterioration in the fabric of the building, and
is even inadequate to prevent the occasional MP getting stuck in the lift.
I have long been of the opinion that Government, whether
central or local, is incapable of maintaining property assets properly.
The sad state of Belle Vue House in Sudbury, currently under
threat of demolition, is a case in point.
Having worked in the Citizens Advice Bureau there for a number of years
I have first-hand experience of the dilapidated state of the building which has
over the years been allowed to become damp and generally run down. I will always remember the day when I watched
in horror as the manager’s arm went straight through a damp and flimsy
partition wall as she leant against it. I do
not really blame Babergh,the owner of the building, in particular.
Such stories about neglected publicly owned assets are common. I think it is in part due to the way local
authorities do their budgets. There is
little consideration in the flurry of the annual spending cycle for dull stuff
like proper provisions for long term repairs.
An outstanding example of state owned squalor was the condition of public spaces in the former Soviet Union, and, indeed in Russia after Perestroika. Everything was owned by the state for 70 years, and even today 20 years later, parks, stations, and even the housing stock outside the centre of the main cities (see picture above), continue to look sadly neglected and run down. When places are owned by everybody, no one it seems wants to take responsibility for looking after them, and old habits die hard.
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