- Overall emissions from the government down 35% since 2017
- £122 million saved through reductions in energy consumption
of government buildings
A major efficiency drive has seen emissions from the government
fall by 35% in less than five years.
New figures, released today in the government’s annual State of the Estate
Report, show that overall emissions from the government have
fallen by 35% compared to 2017-18 levels, with emissions from
buildings down by 10%.
The fall in energy consumption is estimated to have saved the
taxpayer £122 million.
Other efficiency savings released today include:
- Water consumption is down by 10% compared to 2017-18, saving
the taxpayer £7.2 million
- Departments sent fewer than 1% of waste to landfill in
2021-22, easily surpassing the target of 5%. Overall 92% of waste
within government is recycled, exceeding the 70% target
- Government has reduced its paper consumption by 61%
Cabinet Office Minister said:
We want to make government more efficient in all areas, and
today’s report shows that the public estate is playing its part.
We are greening our estate more and have reduced carbon emissions
by 35% as we head towards net zero by 2050.
The government has committed to halve carbon emissions from the
public sector by 2032, with a 75% reduction target by 2037.
Today’s ‘State of the Estate
2021-2022’ report shows the government is on course to meet
that target with overall emissions down 35% since 2017, and
emissions from government buildings by 10%.
For example, the new Birmingham Government Hub is saving more
than £2 million per year for the taxpayer by consolidating staff
from 21 departments under one roof. Its location promotes green
travel through local public transport networks and is designed to
be accessible, inclusive, and sustainable while providing a range
of places for different uses.
Figures in the report also reveal over £600 million in sales
receipts for the taxpayer from government property – such as
offices and NHS buildings - sold in the last 12 months, reducing
the number of expensive London office spaces which are no longer
needed, such as Custom House in the City of London and Windsor
House in Westminster.
This is in addition to savings of £2bn which will be achieved
over the next three years through the Government Property
Strategy.
Disposals of sites are only considered after their potential use
for wider public objectives, such as supporting local services,
have been fully considered.
Since the programme was launched in 2018, the number of core
buildings in Central London have reduced from 67 to 43, or by
around a third.
While reducing the size of its estate, the government is also
driving an agenda to make the civil service less London-centric.
A number of Government Hubs have already opened or are under
development, with civil servants from different departments
co-locating outside central London.
To date, more than 11,000 government roles have been relocated
out of London and across the UK under the Places for Growth
programme. The north-west has seen the most roles created, with
around 2,100 jobs previously based in London now operating from
cities such as Manchester and Liverpool, generating millions in
economic benefits to local areas.
