The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2023 The Government Hubs Programme is designed to deliver value for money through a smaller, better-utilised, better-condition office estate, with common technology, security, and improved sustainability. This will enable departments to share space, disposal of surplus estate, reduce maintenance costs, and improve productivity. The programme also enables the relocation of 22,000 roles to the regions by 2030 as part of the Places for Growth initiative. The programme has been faced with changes in ways of working due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a planned reduction in the size of the Civil Service (around 10% reduction) and recently significant construction inflation (10%) and a big increase in the cost of borrowing (by 50%). The Committee is therefore right to raise concerns about value for money. If the programme continued with its plan prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it would still deliver value for money albeit this would be reduced due to changes in working patterns and market conditions. However, the Programme is not standing still and is making changes made possible by these changes to deliver even better value for money than originally planned. In response, the Programme has: planned for the further reduction of the Central London estate (17 buildings not 20, 16% less space) and examined ways to accelerate this; assumption on attendance rate (25% reduction agreed with a further reduction under consideration) enabling over 4,000 staff to be accommodated in existing estate and additional property to be released; and is considering alternative routes to market for acquisition.