Local authorities from across the UK have told central government how publicly owned property in their areas could be better managed.

Last Friday, authorities reported the findings from 13 pilot schemes under the Total Place initiative.

The aim of Total Place is to save money by managing public sector assets more efficiently and it will inform government money-saving policies in April’s Budget.

If the government after the election turns the recommendations into policy, public sector bodies would have to work more closely together under a more joined-up property strategy.

The pilot schemes began last July and created maps to show the distribution of public money across a region. Kent and Worcestershire county councils mapped out property assets in their regions. They found they can save money through sharing back and front office functions (pictured).

Kent County Council recommends a property strategy board for heads of property from all public sector organisations in Kent. The council already has a single asset management strategy to integrate its own facilities with the NHS and other bodies.

David Lewis, director of property at Kent County Council, says: “It’s unbelievable that it’s taken the government this long to realise the savings you can make from joining up and rationalising property.

“At the moment, it’s wasteful because individual organisations have their own asset management plan. It must make sense to join up all public sector assets.”

Lewis says there will be technical obstacles, such as varying financial structures between different government departments.

But this could be overcome by setting up a vehicle to own and manage all public sector assets in a region. This could be a limited company or a statutory body.

Anna Dunne, director of government and public sector real estate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, who is advising the government and authorities on Total Place, says property will come under greater scrutiny from central and local government.

“With public sector property, occasionally it’s just there and people think it’s too difficult.

Now it’s going to become a fundamental part of public service delivery,” she says.

Dunne believes Total Place would help to make savings on refurbishments and reduce wasted space. It will allow surplus property to be disposed of and it will provide better, fit-for-purpose property out of which conjoined services can operate.”

Dunne says Total Place practices are already spreading beyond pilot areas. She is advising one London borough about collocating health, police, and the authority’s services.

In the West Midlands, Worcestershire’s pilot scheme has become subsumed into the West Midlands Property Alliance, which aims to manage assets on a regional level.

Final recommendations from Total Place will be published in a full report before the end of May.

• Kent could save £280m from Total Place
• Q&A: How can I save using Total Place?
• A-Z of government efficiency scheme Total Place
• Budget 2010: Total Place
• Councils need to find £11bn over four years