Council plans to halve office space

Leeds City Council says it will halve its office space over the next five years.

In a new Estate Management Strategy which outlines how the council will use its land and buildings moving forward, the organisation which is the largest property owner in the city stated: “Our operational estate as well as surplus buildings can support regeneration and growth”.

The strategy which is up for approval by the council executive today would reduce core office space by 50% with a focus being on rightsizing the estate and prioritising the “most efficient, flexible and best quality buildings” in order to reduce the organisations operational costs.

The document also outlines that a review will be undertaken on the 96 properties and structures which are considered historic or sensitive buildings to decide whether the council is “the best custodian” of the assets with some likely to be “released” if they don’t meet estate requirements or fit within the council’s budget.

In the foreword of the strategy, Cllr Debra Couper, executive member for resources noted: “The pandemic has resulted
in changes to our daily lives, many of which will be with us for a long time and some will become permanent.

“For the Council, the pandemic has changed the way that some services are delivered and the way that politicians and staff work. This will change the way we use our buildings and will allow us to reduce the size of our estate to help to meet the financial challenges we continue to face as a result of not only the pandemic but year on year reductions in the level of funding received from Central Government.”

Couper added that the strategy as well as getting rid of surplus buildings would seek to make land available for new housing and to support the Council Housing Growth Programme which aims to deliver a new generation of new build council housing with a target of 1500 new units built over the next five years.

Leeds Arena

The strategy also outlined the importance of the council’s investment portfolio which includes five prime assets such as Leeds Arena and 3 Sovereign Square as well as commercially let properties and small industrial units. The document states the council plans to “dedicate more resource towards managing” its portfolio in order to maximise revenue income which currently stands at £11m per year.

3 Sovereign Square

The council has also said it plans to undertake a programme of improvements to update “tired” assets to create increased revenue opportunities.

Looking ahead the document also noted that the council will look to create “additional small industrial facilities” where viable and actively seek new investment opportunities that meet the requirements – “they are within Leeds, and they support or contribute to the economic growth and regeneration of the city”.