Cabinet Office and LGA name next 20 councils for One Public Estate programme

A further 20 councils have been selected to join the Cabinet Office and the Local Government Association’s One Public Estate programme.

The programme is designed to promote greater collaboration between local and central government in the use of property and to release excess land.

The first phase saw 12 pilot councils take part, with the Cabinet Office and the LGA saying it was projected to save £21m in running costs and £88m in capital receipts.

Under the programme, Leeds City Council worked with West Yorkshire Police to help the latter relocate to new divisional headquarters. The freed-up city centre space, acquired by the authority, will be used for regeneration through the Victoria Gate retail scheme.

Hull City Council meanwhile reduced the number of its properties from 43 to 29 through the programme. It built a new customer service centre in the city centre with the savings made. Some 13 leases were terminated and six buildings vacated by the authority in 2013/14.

The 20 authorities taking part in the second phase of the One Public Estate programme are: 

  • Manchester City, Trafford, Bury, Oldham, Salford and Stockport;
  • Norfolk and Suffolk in partnership with Forest Heath and St. Edmondsbury (West Suffolk);
  • Liverpool;
  • Birmingham;
  • Barnet;
  • Croydon;
  • Plymouth;
  • Southampton;
  • Kent;
  • York;
  • Cornwall;
  • Bradford (subject to agreement to work in partnership with Leeds).

Councils on the scheme receive funding and training from the Government Property Unit and the LGA.

Cllr Peter Fleming, Chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, said: “The One Public Estate programme demonstrates the successes which can be achieved when councils and Government get together to release land for growth and service improvements, which in turn leads to housing, job creation and economic growth. 

“The first round has been extremely successful and this second round will continue to build on the good work achieved so far. Local authorities have been in the driving seat and the achievements made during the first wave represent a tiny proportion of what we believe One Public Estate can achieve.”

Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude said: “As part of this Government's long-term economic plan we have got out of 1,250 buildings since the last general election generating hundreds of millions in savings and creating more opportunities for housing and jobs.”