Data reveals hundreds of empty government-owned offices
HUNDREDS of offices owned by the government around the UK are lying empty, new data has revealed.
The Cabinet Office has published for the first time a comprehensive list of the government’s property assets, with over six hundred properties currently vacant.
A “computer control” room in Crewe has lain empty since the last century – having become vacant in 1999. Almost 800 square metres of office space with an acre of land in Buckinghamshire has gone unused for a decade.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, said:
“We are getting a grip on the Government estate – introducing greater transparency has not only shown the true scale of what we own or lease, it has enabled us to see the scope for savings and to push ahead with making them. In our determination to find savings for taxpayers, we have introduced tight controls and saved over £100 million in the first nine months of this financial year.”
“We expect even greater savings by the end of this Parliament, as we make better use of space and put an end to the days where the government estate was bigger, inefficient and went without scrutiny. Governments will always need property, but it can only be right that the public can see what property is held and how efficiently it is being used.”