1. The Worcestershire “Place Partnership” Project
Herding Cats?
The Worcestershire “Place Partnership” Project
Nigel Snape (Hereford & Worcester Fire)
Nathan Holden (Freeths LLP)

2. Why herding cats? Cats are intelligent
Cats like to do things their own way
Cats like to change their minds

3. History of the project
Cabinet Office policy to support the “one public estate” programme
LAs hold £165bn of assets (without schools and housing)
£31m support from HMG to pay for consultancy / legal costs etc (largely unspent!)
Efficiencies from rationalisation / shared use of assets
Released land can support housing need and stimulate regeneration

4. Why Worcestershire?
Group of authorities willing to work with government
Building on earlier Asset Management Pathfinder Project
Drivers – Professional / Political/ Government Policy
Project partners:
HWFRS
WCC
Worcester City Council
Redditch Borough Council
West Mercia Police
Warwickshire Police
“Almost” partners – Herefordshire
Warwickshire CC

5. How progressed? Outline business case/ full business case
Strong dedicated project management
Leadership in all groups
Support of member and officer level
Separate groups for key areas, eg finance, legal, facilities, HR
Appointment of an MD with property consultancy experience
Chair (Bruce Mann) from Cabinet Office

6. What does “Place Partnership” do?
Manages all property
Provides FM services
Carries out (or outsources) property consultancy
Looks strategically at LA property within particular towns

7. What Place does not do Take ownership of sites
Tell LAs what they have to do – declaration of “Property Sovereignty”
Mandate joint working

8. Structuring of the project
Legal – fortnightly meetings
Heads of terms
Key agreements:
- Transfer (Equipment / TUPE / Service Contracts)
- Shareholder Agreement
- Service Agreement
- Pension Documents (including transfer between LGPS schemes and indemnities)

9. What worked well? Member and officer support
Lawyers – external + in-house
Identifying issues, termination, indemnity, share transfers
Defining the “business”
Identifying reserved and board matters
Creating a Limited Company with free-standing operational and its own lease
Go live at the stated date
“Cut-off” date for entrants

10. What worked less well … Defining the service requirement in all areas
Establishing common service requirements, KPIs
It’s not “them”, its “us” !
Establishing scope of cost base
Costing for redundancy and employment costs
Additional items, eg security services / weapons transport (!)

11. The Result

12. The result
(1) The Ideal

13. The result (2) Place Services Asset Management Strategy
Investment Analysis
Corporate Landlord
Planning
Acquisitions and disposals
Lease re-gearing / sales and landlords

14. Lessons Learned
Importance of ‘People’ issues – both hard & soft
Importance of communications
between project groups
with staff
Need to ensure engagement at the right level across all partners

15. Any questions?