Three London town halls could be converted into hotels, as councils aim to rationalise their property in the wake of an average 4.4% cut to local authority budgets.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council is about to appoint Lambert Smith Hampton to sell the 19th-century Fulham Town Hall (pictured), pending a final cabinet …

Ownership of public assets should be transferred to community groups, think tank ResPublica has said
In a new reported, called To Buy, To Bid, To Build: Community Rights for an Asset Owning Democracy, it said that letting communities buy assets such as libraries, swimming pools and village halls would improve public …

Birmingham City Council has saved £3m in the last 12 months by vacating leasehold properties.
The council announced today that its Working for the Future programme had resulted in a number of buildings being vacated, creating savings on running costs and rent.
Staff have vacated city centre leased properties including Alpha Tower, …

The government wants to keep its property vehicles in public ownership, Property Unit chief John McCready has told Public Property UK.
In an interview at the Public Property Summit this week, McCready said the vehicles in London and Bristol would need to be held by the public sector to help him …

Defence Estates, the Ministry of Defence’s property arm, is set to become a larger vehicle called Defence Infrastructure, with responsibility to provide facilities management and utilities to the department.
Speaking today at the Public Property Summit in London, Defence Estates deputy chief executive David Olney said the body was likely to …

What it is: Healthcare property adviser has published a report on the role of commissioning and the operation of services in the healthcare sector, following the government’s health white paper.
When it came out: October 2010.
Why it is important: The estate is very important in delivering the new services. The key …

What it is: TPP Law has published a report called Asset Management In Health & Social Care. This follows the health white paper that the government published earlier this autumn.
When it came out: October 2010.
Why it is important: Changes to the care system mean big changes to how asset management …

Development consultant Interserve has won contracts to extend schools in the Midlands and Yorkshire worth £42m.
The largest is a £23m improvement programme at the Farnley Park High School in Leeds, which is being carried out as part of the Building Schools for the Future Programme. Work has just started and …

Chancellor George Osborne today said that the government would implement “massive devolution of financial control” to local authorities, including the tax increment financing (TIF) model for funding infrastructure.
Speaking today in the House of Commons, Osborne said that he would make savings of 7.1% to council funding but that in return, …

Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed that the government will cut 60% from school building and refurbishment projects over the next four years.
Today, the chancellor said the government would spend £15.8bn investing in school refurbishment and rebuilding projects, a reduction in 60% from the previous Labour government’s Building Schools for the …