Public Sector Property

Government unveils £675m Future High Streets Fund shortlist

09.07.19: The government has revealed the winners of the first phase of a multi-million-pound fund to transform local high streets, with 51 areas of the country through to the second phase. The £675m Future High Streets Fund, launched at the en...

District councils making ‘great strides’ in building houses post-borrowing cap

03.07.19: District councils are now building and planning homes at a “considerable pace” as a direct result of the borrowing cap being lifted, a new report has revealed. A survey, commissioned by the District Councils’ Network (DCN)...

RTPI calls on government to let councils rise planning fees

28.06.19: Proposals by the Government for new approaches to meeting the costs of the planning service where this improves performance have been welcomed by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). Speaking yesterday at the annual conference of the C...

Welsh government raises £226m from new land tax

28.06.19: The Welsh government have raised £226m from a new ‘land transaction tax’ to replace stamp duty. The new tax was introduced in April 2018 as allowed by a new devolution package giving Wales control of parts of their tax cod...

Prime Minister speaks out against construction of 'tiny homes'

26.06.19: The Prime Minister has called for new design standards to ensure high-quality homes and further rights for tenants. Theresa May will use her address to the Chartered Institute of Housing conference today to highlight “tiny homes with...

Thurrock Council: A council that gets business, does business and means business

11.06.19: Thurrock Council’s chief executive, Lyn Carpenter, discusses an exciting new £1bn regeneration scheme on the River Thames and its importance in setting the template for high quality, community-driven and infrastructure-led growth. ...

Public-private partnership creates housing community at Oxford City Council

30.05.19: Cllr Mike Rowley, board member for housing at Oxford City Council, details how his authority is meeting the growing demand for housing in the city. Oxford’s Barton housing development opened the doors to its first social housing tenan...

Using the Spending Review to break the cycle

29.05.19: Can government use the Spending Review to get out of the cycle of short-termism, over-optimism, and silo decision-making? Antonia Gracie, audit manager at the National Audit Office, reports. For civil servants across Whitehall, amidst the i...

Labour deputy calls for government inquiry into council’s planned library closures

07.05.19: The deputy leader of the Labour Party has written to the government calling for an inquiry into Essex County Council’s planned library closures. The authority plans on “drastically” reducing its services from 74 to 30 in o...

Medway Council in £35m shopping centre purchase as part of major regeneration programme

30.04.19: Medway Council has acquired a high street shopping centre for £35m as part of a major regeneration programme. The unitary authority has taken over the lease of the Pentagon Shopping centre in Chatham town centre for £34.8m, and...

Guildford approves major local plan for thousands of new homes on green belt land

29.04.19: Thousands of new homes are to be built in Guildford up until 2034 after the local council voted to adopt a major local plan which will see 15 villages taken out of the green belt. Despite thousands of objections, Guildford Borough Council h...

Surrey CC reveals plans to scrap 200 council buildings and relocate its HQ to save £10m a year

25.04.19: Surrey County Council has unveiled plans to scrap around 200 of its buildings and move to a new HQ in a bid to save tens of millions of pounds. Guildford and Woking have emerged as the frontrunners to host Surrey’s new “civic he...

New laws to abolish ‘no-fault’ evictions in government overhaul of private rental sector

15.04.19: New proposed laws mean landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants at short notice without a good reason in a government pledge to overhaul the private rental sector. Housing secretary James Brokenshire has announced the new legislati...

From empty home to home sweet home

25.02.19: Paul Dennett, city mayor of Salford, reports on how his council has been cracking down on empty homes. Salford City Council brought almost one empty home a day back into use between 2011 and 2016 – and the battle continues. The s...

‘Significant financial pressures’ forces Durham County Council into reserves as it approves £16m of cuts

20.02.19: Durham County Council has committed to cutbacks of £16m but pledged an additional £74m to capital investment as the authority drops into its reserves. Following a £14.2m reduction in Durham’s revenue support grant fr...