A new scheme in Worcestershire and Warwickshire, the ‘One Public Estate programme’ will unite ‘three councils, two police forces and the fire service’, aiming to raise £75 million by selling off property which is no longer required by the public sector in the area.
Warwickshire Police writes:
The six organisations which are driving forward the UK’s first single-asset management company for public sector property have announced that the pioneering new venture will be called Place Partnership.
The new name for the ground-breaking initiative was selected by representatives of the six founding partner organisations – Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, Redditch Borough Council, Warwickshire Police, West Mercia Police, Worcester City Council and Worcestershire County Council – who unanimously agreed to proceed with Place Partnership.
It will, for the first time in public sector history, work to deliver significant economic and regeneration benefits by maximising the value of its estate portfolio, which includes 1,323 assets across the four counties. This revolutionary approach will create significant efficiencies, improve operational services and initially employ around 200 staff. The company aims to deliver gross cost savings of approximately £58 million (excluding school savings, as schools are responsible for their own budgets) between 2015 and 2025.
Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Ball, speaking on behalf of Place Partnership, said: ‘This exciting milestone is just the beginning of the Place Partnership story. We wanted to find a brand that reflects the company’s vision of unlocking the economic potential of environments, property and places and now that we have a name and corporate brand identity in place, we can really begin to shape and develop the company into an organisation that our skilled workforce will be proud to work for. We’re also in the process of recruiting a managing director, who will be tasked with leading this unique venture and guiding it to become a national model of best practice that can be adopted by other public sector organisations.’
Bruce Mann, Executive Director of GPU at the Cabinet Office, has been acting as the independent Chair of the Shadow Shareholder Group (SSG), which is overseeing the creation of Place Partnership until the new Management Board is in place, added: ‘We’re delighted to formally announce the new name for this ambitious new company. The potential regional and national impact of this trailblazing organisation is far-reaching and we’re looking forward to seeing the company’s progression over the next few months.’
This is the latest milestone for the pioneering new company, which is developed from the ‘One Public Estate programme’ and funded by the Government Property Unit (GPU), and will revolutionise public sector asset management throughout Herefordshire, Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin), Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The services to be delivered by Place Partnership include asset management, facilities management, management of major outsourced services, energy management, and management of design and development work.
View the Evesham Journal article ‘Project to raise £75 million by selling off unwanted public sector property launches’
