Good use of own data helps government shave £100m off property bill

Better analysis of data has helped the government slash £100m off its property bill so far this financial year, the Cabinet Office has revealed.

Stricter property controls and a better understanding of the property estate have made a dramatic difference to the amount saved across the government's property portfolio - with still three months to go the £100m of saving for this financial year already exceed the £90m saved in 2010/11.

Savings come from the national property controls, which include a requirement for Cabinet Office approval for all new leases and property acquisitions, and surplus buildings being examined for sub-letting or sale.

New figures on property published by the Cabinet Office as part of the Government's transparency drive also include data on the space, cost and water and energy consumption per employee.

Work is also underway to examine how public sector employees can make better use of the space they do need - for example by encouraging more innovative, flexible and modern working practices.

Space is also used more effectively - for example, Cabinet Office staff led the way by moving into the Treasury building earlier this year, which was the first major example of co-location in Whitehall.

"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," claimed Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude.

"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."

Luke Nicholson, director of London-based social enterprise CarbonCulture, said gathering and publishing high-quality data marked the first step in making organisations more efficient. "The process of opening data has already helped cut gas use by up to 10% in one Whitehall building. Government is making it easier for people like us to help them cut bills by making this data openly accessible."