Council property managers face a “spaghetti junction” of policies and initiatives as a result of the public spending squeeze, Lancaster council’s regeneration director has said.
Speaking at the Association of Chief Estates Surveyors’ spring conference in Liverpool today, Heather McManus said the government needed to adopt a coherant approach to cost-cutting. She said the alternative was different public bodies in an area making property cuts that would end up being incompatible.
“What worries me is that each of the directorates will go down a particular line, such as national, regional or local. …

Local authorities must push ahead with asset sales whether or not central government demands it, the president of the Association of Chief Estates Surveyors said today.
Bob Perry, ACES president and Cornwall Council’s chief valuer and estate surveyor, told PublicPropertyUK.com that he sees a “rocky period ahead” for councils and that they will have to sell assets even if central government does not demand it. Perry made the opening address at the ACES spring conference in Liverpool today.
He told PublicPropertyUK.com: “We wait to see whether the new government will persist with …

A consortium led by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) is bidding to control a £50m-plus fund to invest in northwest development projects.
The fund will initially comprise £50m, made up of two pools of £20m each – one for Greater Manchester and one for Cheshire, Cumbria and Lancashire – plus a further £10m to be spent in each area. Merseyside is not included in the fund because it will be the subject of a separate urban development fund.
Sir Howard Bernstein (pictured), chief executive of Manchester City Council, is applying …

The Conservative party’s plan to cut “deep and fast” on public spending in the next financial year has been given the green light by the new Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition government
David Cameron, who begins his first day as Prime Minister this morning after Gordon Brown’s departure yesterday, has negotiated efficiencies on IT, recruitment, and property in order to save £6bn in the next financial year.
Among the Tories’ policies is a freeze on public sector recruitment through avoiding filling posts that are left vacant, in a bid to save £1bn-2bn. This would …

Today, the new government begins work cutting the country’s huge budget shortfall. Here, five public sector experts tell Nick Johnstone what they would do:
Look for a pools win
Alex Plant, chief executive,Cambridgeshire Horizons
In Cambridgeshire, we could do better with our public sector assets if we pool them all into a single, centrally managed vehicle.
By bringing assets together, you can find loads of benefits. At present, property management is costly, because there are lots of different estate managers working separately. You could have fewer staff managing more effectively if this was centralised.
You …

The Liberal Democrats will take a key role in deciding the speed of public sector spending cuts after the UK this morning woke up to a hung parliament.
Neither Labour nor the Conservatives can now get the 326 seats in the House of Commons that they would need for an outright majority.
At 9.45am, David Cameron’s Conservatives held 290 seats, Labour held 247 seats, the Liberal Democrats held 51 seats and other parties held 27 seats. With 35 seats yet to be announced, this means that it is mathematically impossible for any …

Public sector workers will have to wait for clarity on spending cuts as the UK prepares for a hung parliament.
At 6.20am, David Cameron’s Conservative Party was set to be the largest party in the House of Commons but without the 326 seats needed to form a clear majority. This leaves the potential for Labour to continue to govern, if it can get the support from the Liberal Democrats in a coalition.
Other options include the Conservatives forming a minority government.
A Sky News exit poll at 6am forecast the Conservatives would win …

England and Wales’ 43 police forces must merge to make savings, cut red tape, and avoid duplication, the Royal United Services Institute has said today.
The think-tank warns that simple collaboration and co-location between police forces will not go far enough to helping cut the £164bn public deficit and fund frontline police services.
Its report, Investigation into UK Policing Structures, which was published today, says fundamental reforms are needed to help fund an effective police service.
It says: “Senior figures in politics are failing to take the initiative on mergers, even though many …

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 …

Advantage West Midlands has provided funding for the new stadium at Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
Birmingham City Council has also agreed to provide funding on the back of this, enabling construction to begin on site. Galliford Try is the main contractor.
The stadium is due to open in time for the 2011 Test Match against India.
Savills is advising on the process.
Savills director Barry Allen said: “Edgbaston is synonymous with cricket and is an internationally recognised brand. This new stadium secures the future of international cricket and will be a …