Public sector office space cut backs are no surprise
-Says workplace management consultant Jonathan Cutting-
The Operational Efficiency Programme, published last Tuesday by H M Treasury, advocates that government departments should consider desk sharing as a viable solution to help save money on wasted office space.
With local councils in England alone wasting a staggering £1.5 billion a year through under-utilised office space, empty desks have become a major drain on government budgets.
“Flexible working is on the rise in the public sector and this has without doubt led to a dramatic increase in empty office scenarios in government buildings,” comments Jonathan Cutting, workplace management consultant at RNM Systems.
“The government’s calculations that its offices could use 30% less space by sharing desks are, at best, extremely conservative and modest. Our estimates suggest that most local government buildings have a desk occupancy rate of just 45% and on any given day there are as many as 297,000 desks lying empty across local authorities. These are quite astonishing statistics, especially when you take into account that an individual desk can cost up to £13,000 a year to run.”
”For a variety of reasons, desk sharing in the public sector has been championed by few and ignored by many for far too long. Councils have been blissfully oblivious to the savings they can make through selling off expensive real estate and cutting back on desk numbers. There is even a revenue 2 stream to be tapped into if councils were to consider leasing office space out to local businesses on a day-to-day basis.”
“This report is a clear and concise sign that the government has woken up to the cost savings that can be made through desk sharing. It is not acceptable that taxpayers should have to pay for neglect on such a major scale and hopefully this review will impact on the way the public sector approaches the whole issue of office space,” he concludes.
About RNM Systems
RNM Systems is a specialist in workspace management and booking solutions. Its Condeco software suite, recent winner of BIFM’s Technology Award, provides large enterprises and SMEs with the ability to manage the day-to-day aspects of office life with ease and fluidity.