Public Sector Property

The great British sell-off

28.08.18: Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Locality, takes a look at the number of publicly-owned assets being sold off to the private sector after bearing the brunt of austerity, and considers what can be done.  We have known for some time th...

High Court allows London council to fine and imprison illegal campers

17.08.18: A council has successfully obtained a High Court injunction allowing it to use greater powers – from fines and asset seizure to imprisonment and – against illegal travellers in the region. The borough-wide injunction will allow...

Community Ownership Fund needed to protect public spaces

19.06.18: More than 4,000 publicly owned buildings and spaces are being sold off every year, a report published today has revealed. The report, ‘The great British sell off,’ published the results of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request made...

Increase charges on second homes in council tax revamp, report suggests

08.05.18: The current council tax system should be replaced with a progressive property tax that places surcharges on additional homes, a leading think tank has said. In a report ‘A new generational contract’ published today by the Resolu...

Introducing the Facilities Management Marketplace

14.12.17: The new Facilities Management (FM) Marketplace will be an opportunity to streamline the process of buying key services whilst propping up new entrants and SMEs, writes John Kenny, head of workplace, commercial specialist (FM and Property) at the...

Public sector to save £35m under new place-based estates framework

24.08.17: A new framework created by the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) could save public sector organisations £35m over the next four years, it has been revealed this week. The Estates Professional Services framework (RM3816) is aimed at savin...

The crown estate of health and care

08.09.16: Along with optimising land usage and promoting co-location, a radical new report makes the case for rationalising all local NHS estate into one body. PSE’s Luana Salles reports. As with the rest of the public sector, estate management...

The importance of continued leadership in estate reform

05.09.16: Despite the political uncertainty caused by the Brexit vote, Dr Alison Knight, head of places strategy at Cheshire West and Chester Council, explains why it is vitally important to keep leaders focused on plans for public sector estate reform. ...

Blurring the red and blue

05.09.16: Theresa May’s plans for police and crime commissioners (PCCs) to take on the duties and responsibilities of fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) have not been without controversy. But what have localities been doing to ensure any decision ma...

The secret to the success of One Public Estate

19.08.16: Central government has faced strong criticism of its many estate schemes in recent years, but one in particular seems to steer clear of the backlash. Bruce Mann, executive director of the Government Property Unit (GPU), reveals the secret to One...

Rescuing council buildings with robots and wireless tech

21.04.16: Gareth Harcombe, operational manager of energy and sustainability at City of Cardiff Council, explains how the authority used advanced technology to heat, insulate and even rescue its public buildings. The City of Cardiff Council has been s...

EXCLUSIVE: Public land disposal scheme leads to just 6 sales

31.03.16: A scheme to reduce government estate by allowing members of the public to request surplus government-owned land to be put up for sale has led to just six sales since it was introduced in January 2014, FoI requests by PSE show. The Right to...

UK government to reduce offices by 75% before 2023

03.02.16: The UK government aims to reduce its offices by 75% and is introducing new measures requiring local authorities to publish information on surplus assets. Speaking today at the Government Property 2016 Conference, Cabinet Office minister Mat...

Local government land: councils urged to let go

19.08.15: A slimmed-down, more efficient local government property estate will be a good vantage point from which to judge the effectiveness of the government’s drive to transform the public sector, argues Kristian Scholfield, senior associate solic...

Construction skills shortage could threaten housing goals

17.08.15: Councils are calling for more devolved powers to local education providers and construction employers in the face of a “growing mismatch” between the number of qualified housebuilders and the industry’s increasing demand for th...