Decentralisation is good for families

PropertyConference: Decentralisation of government offices should benefit, not disadvantage, civil servants. It should mean economic and social benefits for those undertaking a move away from the capitol, according to the Minister of State, Mr Tom Parlon.

Mr Parlon was speaking last week at the opening of the Irish Property and Facility Management Association conference in Dublin. The meeting - "Decentralisation: challenges and opportunities" - heard from a range of speakers who are either directly involved in a decentralisation project or have had a similar experience in the past.

"The approach being taken in relation to the provision of accommodation for decentralised staff is to ensure that their physical working conditions are at least as good as those currently available to them in Dublin and to improve upon these where possible," Mr Parlon told the conference.

"Obviously, the people dimension to this issue is hugely significant and one that the Government is not blind to," he added. There would be economic and social benefits he said but staff would also benefit "in terms of achieving a better quality of life outside the capital".

Ms Anna Stone of Colliers Jackson-Stops told delegates about her own experiences with relocating employees from overseas. There were six key areas that needed to be considered, she said. These included: housing; education and childcare; partner support; transport and communication; social and recreational; and safety and security. "Understanding that each individual has specific needs and being able to find a way to meet those needs help to complete a successful relocation," she said.

Decentralisation could have a profound impact on a capital city's property market given figures presented in a briefing paper issued last week (May 19th) on the UK "Lyons report" into decentralisation of the civil service in Britain.

CB Richard Ellis Gunne's briefing paper estimated that 300,000 sq m (3.2 million sq ft) of office space would be vacated in London and the south-east as a result of relocations there. "We estimate [UK] government departments and agencies occupy over 1.12 million sq m (12 million sq ft) of office space in central London," the briefing paper stated. The report is named after Sir Michael Lyons, a former chief executive of Birmingham City Council.

He was asked in 2003 to conduct a review of civil service relocation with a view to moving 20,000 posts out of London and the south-east of Britain. It identified 19,676 such moves, but also a further 7,474 posts which could be lost via efficiency gains, according to the report. The impact on the central London office market was not likely to be as great as had been feared, the briefing paper noted. Not all staff would relocate from London offices and moves would take place over time, it said.

"Given this, the relocations suggested are more likely to result in a gradual release of space onto the central London market, particularly in Victoria, and to a lesser extent Southwark and WC2," the briefing paper stated.