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Nine in 10 councils now in One Public Estate programme
Nine in 10 councils in England are now part of the government’s One Public Estate programme, as the public land partnerships scheme enters a new phase.
Another 64 local authorities are set to join up to enter partnerships with bodies like the NHS to redevelop surplus public land.
And the government has announced a new round of £8.7m in funding for 56 partnerships to assist with projects.
The programme, which was set up in 2013 by the Cabinet Office and the Local Government Association (LGA), is intended to release land for 25,000 new homes by 2020.
It also has targets to create 44,000 new jobs and deliver £615m in capital receipts for public services, in addition to cutting running costs by £158m.
So far, land has been released for around 1,300 homes through the programme, with £70m in capital receipts raised through land sales and £20m of running cost savings.
“When I launched this application round in August, I hoped that new funding and the obvious benefits of the programme would grab the attention of councils and boost the numbers getting involved,” said Caroline Nokes, government resilience and efficiency minister.
“People in many more communities will feel the benefits of new housing, better public services and efficiencies as a result.”
The LGA said that One Public Estate is “firmly on track” to meet a target to see 95% of councils involved by 2018.
Nick Forbes, senior vice-chair of the LGA, said: “Councils play a crucial role in their communities. With the right funding and support, they can help transform them and ensure that they are enjoyable and prosperous places to live.
“One Public Estate is a good example of providing co-ordinated backing for councils and I am glad that so many of them are taking part in this important initiative. I look forward to this programme’s results.”
A list of partnerships awarded funding through the programme in 2017/18 is available here.
Update: at 15:03, 11/12/17: The story was updated to include details about the programme’s progress so far.
