Report Launch - Leaner and Greener: Delivering Effective Estate Management

 

The Westminster Sustainable Business Forum (WSBF) undertook a research inquiry to examine how best to promote greater sustainability in public sector estate management. The WSBF inquiry, chaired by Matthew Hancock MP, with cross-party support and backing from the public and private sectors, sought to identify bold recommendations for how to more efficiently manage public sector estate to improve economic and environmental efficiency in a time of austerity whilst maintaining and improving service delivery. The resulting report ‘Leaner and Greener: Delivering Effective Estate Management’ was launched in the Houses of Parliament last week by Eric Pickles MP, Cllr Randal Brew and Matthew Hancock MP.

 

Matthew Hancock MP, chair of the WSBF inquiry described 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.”
 

Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said: “This timely report shows that every council could save millions by managing their properties better, using the money to protect frontline services or keep council tax down”. 

 

The inquiry’s findings recommend that local authorities streamline their office space use, sharing with other service providers and local authorities, thereby reducing their space requirements by up to 30% and saving £7bn a year in running costs. Moreover, for the space that remains in use, local government can save a further £190 per m2 per year by following a suite of sustainability measures.