Last edited 30 May 2018

Government Property Agency

The Government Property Agency (GPA) is an executive agency, sponsored by the Cabinet Office. It delivers property and workplace solutions across government by managing central government property.

It was set up in shadow form in January 2017, overseen by the Government Property Unit (GPU). It was originally expected to be formally launched in November 2017, however, its business plan was not approved by the Treasury, and so it will actually be launched on 1 April 2018.

It will introduce a portfolio-led approach to managing central government general purpose property as a strategic asset and will drive benefits through more efficient and effective use of the estate. It aims to generate more than £1bn of benefits over ten years.

In a written statement on 28 March 2018, Oliver Dowden, The Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office said:

"The Agency will be a new Executive Agency of the Cabinet Office from the 1st April 2018 and will provide the centralised ownership, control and delivery infrastructure needed to unlock benefits across organisational boundaries. It further positions Government to deliver workforce change and wider business transformation, delivering efficiencies and releasing land and property for productive use, including building new homes.

"The assets in scope to transfer to the Agency at this stage are general purpose assets (offices, warehouse and depots), plus non-specialist science assets. Specialist assets such as courts, prisons and specialist science assets will remain on departments’ balance sheets and the model also excludes devolved administrations, local governments, schools, NHS clinical estates, HCA regeneration assets, MOD estate and overseas estate.

"The Agency will initially deliver the Government Hubs programme with HM Revenue & Customs and manage non-specialist properties for Cabinet Office and Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy - before expanding its scope to the non-specialist properties of other government departments in subsequent years."