Prosperity 2030 UCL · IGP Prosperity 2030

Universal Service Efficiency

£42B of new service spending delivers £51B of value across all households.

Household Effect · economics, energy, transport, digital, food, community
Total programme Value
£59 Billion / year
From £50B of household-facing spending
New Service spending
£42 Billion / year
Household-facing Service spending
Service Efficiency
1 : 1.21
Cost of Service : Gross value

Every £1 of public expenditure on Universal Services results in £1.21 reduction in the cost of living for households. £42 billion of household-facing service spending generates £51 billion of gross value to households, a 1:1.21 efficiency ratio.

The extra value comes from the efficiency of delivering services at cost rather than at retail prices. Funded services generate 27% more value, on average, than they cost to provide.

Care and Right to Life services are valued at face value (£8B), so the total programme value to households is about £59 billion from approximately £50 billion of household-facing spending.

The remaining £30 billion of programme spending (infrastructure, capital, democracy) delivers genuine public value (energy transition, transport assets, digital platforms, housing stock) that is not captured in the household cost-of-living model.

Published 18 May 2026