Managing central government property

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 26 Jul 2022 Closed: 24 Feb 2023 Parliament page
The Committee will question senior executives at the Cabinet Office and Government Property Agency Central government property, valued at £158 billion, is one of government’s largest assets. It includes offices, hospitals, academy schools, jobcentres, courts, prisons and museums. Managing central government property effectively helps to support government priorities such as … Read more
6 Recommendations
15 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
2 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 6 events
24 Feb
2023
Report published
21 Dec
2022
Report published
8 Nov
2022
Correspondence
17 Oct
2022
Correspondence
13 Oct
2022
Oral evidence
13 Oct
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
13 Oct 2022
View on parliament.uk
Managing central government property
Alex Chisholm · Cabinet Office Dr Janet Young · Government Property Profession Mark Chivers · Cabinet Office Steven Boyd MBE · Government Property Agency
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Thirty-First Report - Managing central government property HC 48 21 Dec 2022 21 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
Clear
4 Recommendation Acknowledged
Thirty-First Report - Managing cen…
We are sceptical that the Government Hubs programme still represents good value for money in...
We are sceptical that the Government Hubs programme still represents good value for money in the current climate. The Government Hubs programme relocates civil servants from small offices into large, modern government hubs located in cities across the United Kingdom. … Read more
Government Response
A progress report is provided to Ministers, on the Hubs Programme, biannually with the next due in the Summer 2023, which will be used to provide an annual update to the committee.
HM Treasury
View details
5 Conclusion Acknowledged
Thirty-First Report - Managing cen…
In addition to this, the Cabinet Office should update us yearly on the rollout of...
In addition to this, the Cabinet Office should update us yearly on the rollout of the hubs programme. Such updates should include the lease term and next available break point for each GPA hub, the extent to which offices are … Read more
Government Response
The Cabinet Office has commissioned departments to produce a forward look of their planned disposal activity to 2030, which will be refreshed periodically to enable analysis and monitoring of disposal plans.
HM Treasury
View details
6 Recommendation Acknowledged
Thirty-First Report - Managing cen…
It is unclear how the government will meet its target for property disposals, given the...
It is unclear how the government will meet its target for property disposals, given the past struggles of such programmes and current market uncertainty. The new government property strategy has set a target for disposing of surplus property, to generate … Read more
Government Response
The response notes the Committee’s conclusion and points to the overall success of the 2018 Government Estate Strategy in unlocking savings and efficiencies.
HM Treasury
View details
1 Conclusion Acknowledged
Thirty-First Report - Managing cen…
On the basis of a Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Cabinet Office, including the Permanent Secretary, Chief Property Officer, the Government Head of the Property Profession and the Chief Executive of the Government … Read more
Government Response
The department has now published on GOV.UK a bespoke property data standard, to enable better data collection for all of the government estate and the procurement of the new property database is due to take place throughout the course of 2023 with the expectation that the new system will be in place no later than Spring 2024.
HM Treasury
View details
20 Conclusion Acknowledged
Thirty-First Report - Managing cen…
The new strategy’s emphasis on efficiency is also reflected in the plan to cut the...
The new strategy’s emphasis on efficiency is also reflected in the plan to cut the estate’s annual running costs by £500 million.51 In 2020–2021, the operating cost for central government property was £22 billion.52 We asked the Cabinet Office if … Read more
Government Response
The government notes the Committee’s conclusion and refers to savings and efficiencies unlocked by the 2018 Government Estate Strategy and the goals of the recently published Government Property Strategy 2022-2030.
HM Treasury
View details
21 Conclusion Acknowledged
Thirty-First Report - Managing cen…
We questioned whether the government’s plan to save £500 million on operating costs by 2025...
We questioned whether the government’s plan to save £500 million on operating costs by 2025 was ambitious enough, noting that it only represents approximately a 2% reduction.55 Cabinet Office officials told us the target was a cautious one and that … Read more
Government Response
The government notes the Committee’s conclusion that the plan to reduce the operating costs of the government estate is not sufficiently ambitious.
HM Treasury
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 14 of 6 classified
Accepted 8
Acknowledged 6
Total 6 recs + 15 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
8 Nov 2022 Correspondence from Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, re Managing government property, dated 2 November 2022
Parliament page
17 Oct 2022 Correspondence from Alex Chisholm, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, re managing central government property, dated 29 September 2022
Parliament page