- Fourteen government buildings have been closed in the past
year as part of steps to make the Government estate more
efficient and save the taxpayer £43.1 million.
- The number of government buildings in London has now been
decreased to 28, down from 79 in 2017.
- Major milestones have also been reached with delivery of the
new Darlington Economic Campus, and the opening of the London
headquarters for the Department for Science, Innovation and
Technology.
Fourteen government buildings were closed last year, contributing
to savings across the government estate of £43.1 million in the
past year.
The Government Property Agency's (GPA) Annual Report and Accounts
(ARA) for 2025/26, published today, shows four of these buildings
were in the capital as the Plan for London progresses. The
programme has secured £17.5 million in annual savings through
these closures, procurement negotiations and Net Zero
initiatives. The number of government buildings in the city now
stands at 28, compared to 79 in 2017.
The other closures were located across the UK, including in
cities such as Leeds, Cardiff and Leicester.
Cabinet Office Minister said:
By reducing our reliance on inefficient London offices, we are
creating a leaner, fairer government estate that belongs to the
whole country.
We have reshaped our estate to drive economic growth in every
region, ensuring a career in the Civil Service is accessible to
talent right across the UK, not just within Whitehall.
Mark Bourgeois, CEO at the GPA, said:
We are pleased to publish our Annual Report and Accounts for
2025/26, which was a year of further stabilisation at the GPA,
where we continued to evolve to ensure better delivery for our
clients and the taxpayer, while strengthening our operating model
and leadership.
Throughout the year, we secured notable benefits across our
portfolio and for the government evidenced by the opening of the
26 Whitehall Government Hub, closure of 14 offices and further
implementation of property technology - ensuring civil servants
have access to more digitally-enabled offices.
We now look forward to building on these achievements throughout
2026/27, ensuring we continue to support the government's
missions and achieve our aim to create a smaller, better and
greener office estate.
The GPA has also secured £25.4 million in commercial savings in
the past year, via re-procurements and negotiations with
contractors. This surpassed our £20 million target.
A further £232,000 was saved by the GPA in 2025/26 through its
Net Zero and Lifecycle Replacement Programmes, which delivered
220 projects across the entire government estate. This included
the installation of nearly 1,400 solar panels at five Civil
Service offices helping to save 550 metric tonnes of carbon
dioxide equivalent each year.
The GPA further signalled its commitment to the government's Plan
for Change in 2025/26 by finding and securing Great British
Energy's headquarters in Aberdeen.
On top of this, the agency has continued to deliver for
departmental partners throughout the financial year and have
reached its target to open a new Government Hub, as the
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology moved into 26
Whitehall.
A major milestone was also reached in the delivery of the new
Darlington Economic Campus (DEC), as construction works began at
Brunswick Street, marked by a breaking ground ceremony attended
by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, , and Cabinet Office Minister
.
Meanwhile, plans to create a new workspace for approximately
8,800 government staff took a step closer as the Outline Business
Case for Manchester Digital Campus (MDC) was formally approved by
the Treasury.
The ARA report is available here.
