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Commercial Property

Investors lose £279m on Carillion's West Midlands hospital project

National Audit Office says private sector is bearing the financial brunt of Midland Metropolitan project which has been hit by delays and spiralling costs of more than £300m

A new report says construction of the Midland Metropolitan is £302m over budget(Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Private sector investors and shareholders have lost at least £279 million on the construction of a West Midlands hospital following the collapse of Carillion two years ago.

A new report published by the National Audit Office (NAO) today also says the cost to the taxpayer of finishing the Midland Metropolitan Hospital has increased by three per cent as the project's budget has spiralled by more than £300 million.

It follows the demise of the construction and infrastructure giant which fell into liquidation in January 2018.

The NAO's report says shareholders, investors, insurers and Carillion are at least £603 million out of pocket for the construction of the Midlands Metropolitan in Smethwick and the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, both of which were funded through the private finance initiative (PFI) scheme.

The NAO said the Government wanted to ensure the private sector honoured its contracts and it rejected proposals for more public funding to bail out the two developments or reduce the risk that lenders were exposed to.

Carillion, which was headquartered in Wolverhampton, was leading the development of the 669-bed Midland Metropolitan which will replace many of the services currently provided by Sandwell and City hospitals.

But the company suffered a catastrophic collapse as it buckled under the weight of mounting debts worth £900 million and a pension deficit of £587 million, leaving projects across the country hanging in the balance.