Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Deferred
Poor government property maintenance significantly disrupts public services and drives rising costs.
Recommendation
Well–maintained government properties are more cost–effective than poorly maintained buildings. They contribute to a better experience for the public and higher levels of wellbeing and productivity for staff. Poor property maintenance can result in water leaks, collapsing ceilings, fire alarm faults and other building failures.14 These risks have already materialised across government property and resulted, for instance, in the closure of prison cells, law courts and museums. On average, in the period 2019–20 to 2023–24, approximately 5,400 clinical service incidents occurred in the NHS every year due to property and infrastructure failures.15 We recently reported on the prison estate backlog which has doubled to £1.8 billion in the last four years and its Spending Review allocation of £220 million in 2024–25 which is not sufficient to reverse this trend.16
Government Response Summary
The government will strengthen the position on inclusion of strategic risks in Strategic Asset Management Plans (SAMPs) as an initial step by reviewing GovS 004: Property. Following this, they intend to consult with departments to determine the practicality and level of detail for further guidance development.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
2. PAC conclusion: The poor condition of some property and the failure to maintain it is regularly affecting the provision of key public services. 2a. PAC recommendation: The Cabinet Office should require departments to include explicit analysis of the risks across their portfolio in their updated SAMPs. 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Autumn 2026 15 2.2 The inclusion of information on risks within Strategic Asset Management Plans (SAMP) is currently an advisory element of Government Functional Standard: Gov S004: Property. The Office of Government Property (OGP) SAMP Handbook provides guidance on the content of SAMPs. 2.3 GovS 004: Property is currently being reviewed, and the Cabinet Office intends to strengthen the position on the inclusion of strategic or major risks as an initial step. Following this it is intended to consult with departments on the extent to which an inclusion of explicit analysis of the risk across property portfolios is practicable and to what level of detail to allow existing guidance to be further developed.