As the three-way battle between the major parties reaches its climax, we give you a run down of policies that would affect public property after the election.

Labour: Keep steady

Efficiency savings
Labour wants to push ahead with cuts to property running costs, axe unneeded quangos and “sharply” reduce spending on consultants. It says this would save £20bn a year by 2012-13 and have reiterated plans to sell public property. In March, it announced a £35bn sell-off of local government assets.

Housing and regeneration
Vaguely pledges to give councils more power to finance and develop affordable housing. Claims its plan would allow it to build up to 10,000 council homes each year by 2016. It also plans to “make savings in regeneration funding”.

Planning
Will not make any big changes to the reforms it has made over the past 13 years, including keeping the Infrastructure Planning Commission.

Public sector pay
Proposes a cap on pay rises at 1% in 2011/12 and 2012/13 to save £3bn. Any public appointment with a salary of more than £150,000 would need ministerial sign-off.

Sustainability
Plans to follow through on Budget announcement of a Green investment bank to invest in low-carbon infrastructure.

Employee rights

Would encourage firms to adopt a John Lewis-style partnership model that gives employees a share of ownership. Would end default retirement age of 65 and allow older workers to request flexible working. Pledges to tackle pay inequality and bring in more flexibility about how parents share maternity and paternity leave.

To read their manifesto click here: Labour Party election manifesto 2010

Tories: Quicker cuts

Efficiency savings
The Conservatives aim to save £12bn more than Labour in this financial year. This includes reducing property costs and spending on consultants. Tory adviser Martin Read says a Conservative government could vacate 10% of its office space in year one.

Housing and regeneration
Want to match the council tax that authorities receive from new homes, to encourage housing projects. The Community Infrastructure Levy would be replaced.

Planning
Favour sweeping reforms by giving residents more control, but would limit appeals against planning permission to cases that are an abuse of process or against the local plan. Plan to axe the Infrastructure Planning Commission.

Public sector pay
Would force public bodies to publish senior staff’s salaries. Treasury approval would be needed for pay packets higher than the prime minister’s. They say co-operatives set up by workers that find efficiencies would be able to pay themselves bonuses out of the savings they make.

Sustainability
More incentives to councils that approve “green” schemes and £6,500 grants for homeowners to improve their property’s energy performance.

Employee rights

Would seek to abolish default retirement age, and force equal pay audits on employers that discriminate by gender.Would extend right to request flexible working to all, subject to conditions.

To read the manifesto in full, click here: Conservatives Manifesto 2010

Lib Dems: middle ground

Efficiency savings

The Lib Dems have identified £15bn of savings a year. They would cut spending on consultants and red tape, axe government regional offices and reform regional development agencies.

Housing and regeneration
A £1.2bn plan would bring 250,000 empty homes into use. The powers of badly performing regional development agencies would be returned to local authorities to save money.

Planning
Would scrap the Infrastructure Planning Commission in favour of third-party rights of appeal where a planning decision goes against the local plan. New planning rules on school playing fields and second homes would be introduced.

Public sector pay
A £400 pay-rise cap for public sector workers for the next two years would save £3.5bn. Civil servants’ “performance bonuses” would be axed.

Sustainability
Would spend £400m in 2010/11 on insulating public buildings, bring in a 30% energy reduction target by 2020 and strengthen the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

Employee rights

Would bring in name-blind job applications to reduce discrimination in larger companies. Would introduce fair pay audits for all companies with 100-plus staff. Would allow all staff to request flexible working and make parental leave more flexible.

To read the manifesto, click here: Liberal Democrat Manifesto 2010

• 2010 election manifestos: property responds
• Labour manifesto pledges tough action on property
• Tories bid to outdo Labour property savings
• Election 2010: Labour manifesto
• Election 2010: Conservative manifesto