EG LONDON PUBLIC SECTOR


service working practises means office space is better used. Insiders estimate that the desks-per-staff ratio has now fallen from 1:1 in 2003 to around 1:0.7 today. And it is still falling. The Government Property Unit has


been told to cut the number of Whitehall office buildings from 213 to as few as 23 by 2018.


Independent observers such as the


Taxpayer’s Alliance remain optimistic but watchful. “There has been a real effort to change from the Cabinet Office,” says TA’s Robert Oxley. “They have been trying to turn buildings efficiently.“ According to the Cabinet Office, the


next steps will see fewer high-profile transactions and more behind-the- scenes efficiency. Cabinet office minister Chloe Smith says: “We will be focusing on working with departments to make better use of their space – this means there will be fewer big figures being announced but a lot more work behind the scenes, such as a new workplace standard for the central government office estate.” This means more hot-desking and no


more than 107.6 sq ft per staff member. Smith says: “We have come a long way


since starting this programme. Selling the leasehold for Admiralty Arch in London for £60m is a spectacular and


GOVERNMENT OCCUPANCY IN NUMBERS 48.4 sq ft


86 sq ft 107.6 sq ft


142 sq ft 184 sq ft


233.6 sq ft Source: National Audit Office; Taxpayers’ Alliance. 86 www.estatesgazette.com 13 April 2013


Average floorspace per person in the most efficient department, Communities and Local Government


Government’s aim for the amount of space per person for new and refurbished office buildings


CABINET OFFICE


Operational Efficiency Programme’s recommended average floorspace per person for government office buildings


Average floorspace per person across the government’s office estate in 2012


Average floorspace per person across the government’s office estate in 2006


Average floorspace per person in the worst performing department, the Cabinet Office


In late 2011, the Cabinet Office had the highest estates cost per full-time member of staff, at £6,301. That was because in its high-ceilinged and corridor-strewn premises next to Downing Street, each member of staff occupied 234 sq ft, compared with 48 sq ft at the more modern offices of Eric Pickles’ slimline Department for Communities and Local Government. The most recent figures for the Cabinet Office suggest total office occupancy of 527,000 sq ft, which costs £6.5m quarterly. The Cabinet Office says: “2012-13 is a


transition year for the Cabinet Office estate and these figures include some space that has now been disposed of following the consolidation into 1 Horse Guards Road.”


EMPTY DESKS


Exactly how much Whitehall government floorspace is empty is not clear. The Cabinet Office told EG: “While


vacant space is an issue we want to tackle, as of January 2012 only around 3% of the government’s mandated estate was vacant, in comparison to the private sector average of 11%.” Last summer, the House of Commons


Public Accounts Committee was told that of the 54m sq ft of government office floorspace in the UK, 11 buildings


particularly high-profile example of a quiet revolution that has been going on across the government’s property estate for the last few years. “There are huge economic benefits to


helping civil servants vacate buildings in some of the most sought-after locations in central London. Independent analysis by Knight Frank estimated our work has reverberated through the property and construction sector to stimulate London’s economy, generate jobs and give our capital a boost of over £3bn.” She adds: “It’s good financial common


sense to let go of properties that no longer suit our needs and reap maximum


totalling 480,000 sq ft were empty, awaiting a new commercial tenant as the result of sale, sublet or early surrender. Space in another 12 buildings, totalling 172,000 sq ft, had been mothballed to minimise running costs. Empty desks are inevitable when


the Civil Service is shrinking: the government says that by 2015 the Civil Service will be around 23% smaller than it was in March 2010, operating with around 380,000 staff.


benefit for both the taxpayer and the wider economy.” Observers agree that the Cabinet


Office has achieved what some thought was impossible: a wholesale reorganisation of the Whitehall estate. If it can crack the last few hard cases, its triumph will be complete.


COSTS PER DEPARTMENT


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25