Graphs at a glance: The UK has the worst investment record of the 27 EU nations, so where does all the money go?

For years one of the favourite excuses for making all us Ripped-off Britons worse off by hiking prices and keeping down wages has been the need to pay for "investment". 

Energy , telecoms and transport companies warn of blackouts and overcrowding unless we swallow price hikes for "investment". 

Employers and governments say wages and pensions can't go up because the  money kept from us is needed for "investment".


A report by the National Audit Office, "Infrastructure Investment: the impact on consumer bills", reveals the extent of the rampant rises:

"Spending [by consumers paying their bills] on energy and water bills rose by 44 per cent and 21 per cent respectively, in the period 2002 to 2011 while median incomes were still the same in 2011 as they were in 2002 (all figures calculated in 2012 prices)"

And yet when the rain pours, the wind puffs, or the wrong type of snow falls everything seems to grind to a halt. Is all the investment we pay for with higher bills and stagnant wages being wasted? Or is it simply not happening at all?

Figures from a European Union report, "In Depth Review for the UK", suggest that the "investment" is actually woefully inadequate. The report shows that the UK has about the worst investment record of all 27 EU nations.

Makes you wonder where all the  money actually does go:

Income data from http://topincomes.g-mond.parisschoolofeconomics.eu/

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