PFI deals slump for 2008

16 January 2009

Fewer deals were signed under the private finance initiative last year than at any point since PFI began a decade ago, writes Nicholas Timmins, the Financial Times public policy editor.

In an article on FT.com, Timmins notes that credit crunch contributed heavily to only 34 PFI contracts signed last year. At least 60 deals have been signed every year over the past decade, according to Public Private Finance magazine. Hospital deals dipped seven in 2008, against 20 in 2007. Three waste management contracts were signed.