Room For Improvement

 

Nine years after its last examination of asset management, the Audit Commission finds that few councils are managing strategically their £250 billion of assets. In Room for improvement: a review of strategic asset management in local government, the Commission reveals that:

• Councils have spent £1.2 billion more on buying or refurbishing their offices than they have raked in from sales
• Only one in 14 (7 per cent) of councils is an exemplary manager of its assets
• In 2007/08, while 65 improved, the performance of 46 councils on asset management deteriorated (based on their UOR scores)
• A third do not yet share assets with other public services

The Audit Commission warns that, in the current economic climate, councils will need to do far better, if councils are to achieve expected savings and maintain services in the coming years. The report also calls on central government to give a clear steer on the priority for local government: should councils seek to dispose of assets to maximise receipts, or enhance estates to deliver better public services.

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