One Public Estate expands to help deliver thousands of jobs and homes

One Public Estate expansion will help councils to deliver 44,000 jobs and 25,000 homes across England.

Almost three quarters of councils will be helped in delivering 44,000 job and 25,000 homes through property as One Public Estate  (OPE) expands, with the addition of 79 Councils.

The Cabinet Office and Local Government Association have today announced that the further 79 councils will join the programme, bringing the total number of members of the OPE to 225.

A total of £6.6M has been allocated to councils across the new and existing partnerships on the programme.

By 2019-2020, in addtion to the 44,000 jobs, 25,000 homes, the latest funding is expected to raise £415M in capital receipts from land and property sales and cut running costs by £98M.

Ben Gummer, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, said: “One Public Estate is not just about creating savings and collecting land receipts, it also enables the delivery of houses and jobs.

“Through this ground-breaking programme, local councils can transform services, unlock significant local growth and crucial efficiency savings through smarter use of property and land.”

Lord Porter, Chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “In the drive to get Britain building again it is encouraging to see that over 70% of councils have now joined the OPE Programme. These councils will strive to collaborate with government and wider public sector bodies to deliver much needed Housing and services at a local level.”

One Public Estate, jointly delivered by the Government Property Unit within the Cabinet Office and the local Government Association, focuses on boosting economic growth, unlocking regeneration and creating more integrated public services by supporting joint working across central and local government. Created in 2013, it encourages public sector partners to share buildings, transform services, reduce running costs and release surplus and under-used land for development.

Launched in 2013, One Public Estate begun with 12 councils, and has since expanded. In the Autumn Statement 2015, following on from successful pilot stages, it was announced that the programme would receive £31M to further expand the programme.

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