Public sector decision-makers need to acknowledge that the sector is now unlikely to meet many of its carbon-reduction targets – and use that acknowledgement as a ‘reset moment’ for change going...
A huge drop in the value of Spelthorne Borough Council’s commercial investments has been revealed in its draft statement of accounts for 2022-23, but the income they generate is “holding up well”.
Despite rumours to the contrary, changes to CIPFA’s Prudential and Treasury Management Codes mean councils must re-examine their investment strategies, says Richard Lloyd-Bithell.
Spelthorne Borough Council is budgeting for an increase in income from its commercial property portfolio during the current financial year, enabling it to underspend its budget by £1.5m.
Council investment in buying buildings dropped by 56% in the first quarter compared to last year, while spending on new construction projects fell just 14% according to government data.
A lack of power has meant the organisation set up to manage NHS properties has racked up nearly £700m in debts since it was created, the Public Accounts Committee has said.
Councils own a huge number and variety of buildings. Their condition should be surveyed regularly to ensure they remain fit for purpose, says CIPFA’s David Brindley.
Councils will have to publish property rationalisation plans as part of a drive to cut the size of the public sector estate, Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock has announced.
Over 100 councils are to join a flagship public sector efficiency scheme that is intended to cut costs by sharing offices and rationalising the public estate.
The ongoing fiscal squeeze is encouraging public bodies of all shapes and sizes to reassess how they use, and might benefit from, the properties on their books
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander has launched a review of the business rates system in England, which will consider how to use local retention of revenue to incentivise councils to...
Tougher regulation of the private-rented sector is needed in order to stop landlords from exploiting the housing crisis at the expense of taxpayers and tenants, according to the Civitas think-tank.
Central government is to be involved in the development and sale of homes on public land for the first time in a generation under plans announced by Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander as...
Housing and planning minister Brandon Lewis today called on councils to prioritise development of brownfield land so that more homes can be built while protecting the countryside.
The next Labour government would look to raise as much as £100m by selling off state-owned property in London, including restaurants and the QE2 Conference Centre, the party has announced.
Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has revealed the coalition is on track to reduce the number of government buildings in central London to just 23 by 2020, by moving offices to the suburbs.
