Central government 'should join in property-sharing plans'

27 May 11
Central government needs to be more involved in plans to co-ordinate the use of public buildings better, a CIPFA conference was told yesterday.
By Richard Johnstone | 25 May 2011

Central government needs to be more involved in plans to co-ordinate the use of public buildings better, a CIPFA conference was told yesterday.


Alex Plant, chief executive of the Cambridgeshire Horizons partnership, said pressure must be put on central government to join in the move to a place-based approach to asset management.

The partnership is one of 11 pathfinder projects set up by the Department for Local Government and Communities to co-ordinate the management of buildings and assets between all public service providers.

The aim is to end up with ‘fewer but better quality public buildings that are better used’ in towns and neighbourhoods, leading to reduced running costs. It is believed that if the scheme were rolled out nationally, it could save up to £35bn over the next ten years.

Speaking at the One Public Estate conference, Plant said that his project had saved £350,000 a year in running costs, with Cambridgeshire County Council, the NHS, the Department for Work and Pensions and a library sharing offices.

Councils should not delay joining in, he said, and central government needed to get more involved.

Plant argued that the creation of a government property unit last year ‘ought to have done more than it has so far’ to achieve the place based approach.

In the market town of Ely, for example, an analysis of the locally controlled estate was undertaken to look at the potential for savings. Central government properties were also identified, but these could not be mapped in the same way.

Plant added: ‘The approach would actually save money for central government departments. Sometimes there are very good reasons why you should drive things on a national basis. I do think we should try and keep the pressure on.’

The conference also heard from local government minister Baroness Hanham, who said that the pathfinders had identified barriers to the placed-based approach, and ‘my job is to knock them down’.

She added that the Local Government Improvement and Development service would now work on spreading the initiative beyond the 11 pathfinders.

Andrew Smith, chief executive of Hampshire County Council, said that was well as using buildings more effectively, place-based asset management could provide a catalyst for further savings through shared services between parts of the public sector.

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