14 October 2016 | Jamie Harris

The Cabinet Office says 159 councils are joining the next phase of the government’s One Public Estate programme. 

Half of all councils in England are now part of the programme, run by the Cabinet Office Government Property Unit and the Local Government Association (LGA), which brings together local and central government departments to make the use of the public sector estate more efficient.

It was launched in 2013 to encourage public sector partners to share buildings, reduce running costs and transform the services they provide, support joint working across central and local government to release surplus land and property, and integrate public services.

Over five years, One Public Estate is expected to save £56 million in running costs, raise £138 million in land and property sales, and create 36,000 jobs.

The news follows the programme’s extension last year, announced in the 2015 Autumn Statement, in which a further £31 million in funding was provided from government.

The scheme’s expansion sees a total of £7.5 million in funding awarded to 37 partnerships, comprised of the participating councils and public sector bodies, to support property efficiency initiatives.

Ben Gummer, minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, said: “This funding will create important initiatives that integrate public services, boost local economies and deliver cost savings for local councils and taxpayers.”

Lord Porter, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: “The extra money being made available for even more councils to join the programme will bring us closer to achieving our ambition to have all councils signed up by 2018, driving growth in their areas through the strong local leadership that we’ve already seen in the early phases of the programme.”

A full list of the local authorities currently taking part in the scheme, as well as a breakdown of the 2016/17 funding allocated to the partnerships, can be found here.