17
Accepted
As part of the plan to ensure a “smaller, better, greener” estate, the new government...
Conclusion
As part of the plan to ensure a “smaller, better, greener” estate, the new government property strategy has set a target for disposing of surplus property. The Cabinet Office intends to generate £1.5 billion in property disposals by 2025, £500 million a year, which will be reinvested in the remaining estate.44 The Cabinet Office told us that it has been negotiating with departments since the summer and has seen some preliminary disposal numbers.45
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and will write to the committee by April 2023, having commissioned departments to produce disposal pipelines to 2030 for monitoring, and plans to publish updated disposal guidance in 2023.
Government Response
Accepted
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: end March 2023 The Cabinet Office will write to the Committee with this information by April 2023. The Cabinet Office has commissioned departments to produce a forward look (pipeline) of their planned disposal activity to 2030, and these pipelines will be refreshed periodically. This will enable the Cabinet Office to analyse, report on and monitor disposal plans, setting relevant programme performance indicators and measures to do so. Disposal plans will form part of the wider property efficiency conversation that departments will have with HM Treasury during the Efficiency and Savings Review, and the merit of setting targets will be determined during that exercise. An updated version of The Disposal of Government Property (Real Estate) guidance will be published in 2023 to align with current government priorities. The guidance provides disposal best practice advice and the technical processes to be followed to ensure Best Value is obtained in any disposal. This includes documenting the objectives driving the disposal, and from those to determine, with professional valuation advice, the most appropriate disposal strategy and method of sale. Departments should consider the implications on the disposal strategy of a weaker or uncertain market, including whether setting provisions to benefit from increases in value after disposal through overage or clawback, or the potential for partnership or profit sharing arrangements are appropriate.
Source
Committee
Public Accounts Committee
Report
Thirty-First Report - Managing central government property
21 Dec 2022
HC 48
Addressee Bodies
HM Treasury
Timeline
Recommendation age
3.6 yrs
Report published
21 Dec 2022