UK Government to slash number of offices it owns by 75%
Ministers announce proposals to reduce number of civil servants' offices from 800 to 200 by 2023
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Your support makes all the difference.The number of offices owned by the Government is set to be slashed by 75 per cent by 2023, ministers have announced.
Civil servants will operate in just 200 offices, down from 800 today, and the landmark Whitehall estate in central London will shrink to just 20 buildings by 2025, as the Government sells off surplus properties, Cabinet Office minister Matt Hancock said.
Since 2010, the size of the Government estate has been reduced by 2.4 million square metres – the size of 336 football pitches – in a drive to cut the cost of running the civil service.
The average government employee now has 10.4 square metres of office space each – down 20 per cent since 2010, reducing the cost of the Government estate by 28 per cent.
Landmark buildings such as the Old War Office and Admiralty Arch have been sold off, and ministers are also considering the future of the famous MI6 and MI5 buildings on the banks of the River Thames.
Mr Hancock, who published the Government’s latest estates strategy said the Government wanted to create “a more modern and efficient estate”, and said £1.8bn had already been saved.
“We have a laser focus on cutting the deficit, supporting growth and providing more houses,” he said. “To that end we’re determined to release property the Government no longer needs and get out of expensive rentals that aren’t offering value for money.”
The sell-offs have also included properties outside London, and the Government has also called on local authorities to “rationalise” their estates in the coming years.
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