FEATURE
LEANER AND GREENER: DELIVERING EFFECTIVE ESTAT
Facing dramatic spending cuts and escalating carbon costs, local government must become ever more innovative to maintain services using fewer resources. A report published by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum (WSBF) shows that local government should look to sustainable property management for answers. Evidence shows that by managing their estate more efficiently, sustainably and in partnership with others, local government could save £7billion a year in operational cost savings, while reducing energy demand and improving the quality of services.
© Helen Maybanks
described in the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, local government will face a 26% reduction in funding over the next four years. With council’s budgets being reduced by up to 8.9% in 2011 alone, local authorities need to start counting the pennies.
So how can local government deliver both environmental and economic savings, while maintaining the same quality of services?
Eric Pickles launching the report
THE NEED FOR CARBON AND CASH SAVINGS Now, more than ever before, public sector organisations are under pressure to improve their environmental efficiency. In 2009, as a nation, we committed ourselves to a legally-binding EU target to cut carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. This, alongside the rapidly rising cost of carbon, has meant that carbon savings are becoming essential for efficient local government. But while the Green Deal looks set to secure the energy efficiency of households, local government now needs to address its vast and sprawling estate. Valued at an incredible £250 million and emitting untold volumes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, such an estate seems an obvious target for slashing carbon usage. However, cutting carbon is not the only hurdle government faces in maintaining service. For many local authorities, the dramatic cuts to funding will pose a more immediate challenge. As
18| SUSTAINABLE FM | FEBRUARY 2011
LEANER AND GREENER PROPERTY MANAGEMENT “Leaner and Greener”, the report arising from the WSBF inquiry provides evidence suggesting that the public sector could deliver more – much more – with less. Matthew Hancock MP, chair of the WSBF inquiry describes the findings: “This report shows the sheer scale of savings available to local government from better use of their property. A trinity of benefits, lower costs, lower carbon emissions, and better services can thus be delivered through improved property management.” Meanwhile, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who launched the findings earlier this month explained: “Every council could save millions by managing their properties better, using the money to protect frontline services or keep council tax down”.
So the politicians seem sold. But what about the real world? Well the findings are based in the real world, using real world case studies. To help local government practically implement the findings, the report describes key steps that local government
and public sector partners should take to achieve more effective estate management: • Going
Green.The business case for operating sustainability means that local government can no longer afford to ignore the need for energy and environmental efficiency measures.
• Shrinking space. Local
government should adopt internal measures to rationalise its own property. Such measures should be focused on financial savings made through the improved use of space and improved environmental efficiency of the estate.
• Central control. More efficient property management across a local authority estate could be achieved by removing control over property from individual departments within local government, and centralising it within a single ”Central Property Unit (CPU)” .
• Working together. Local government should enable collaboration and cooperation between other public sector and voluntary partners Sarah Whitney, Managing Director of the Government & Infrastructure, CB Richard Ellis fully endorses the recommendations: “The models and examples outlined in the report shouldn’t be considered optional. All public sector bodies should be under a moral and a practical obligation to use their resources as efficiently as possible for the benefit of
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