Cabinet Office makes key Yorkshire appointment

To be based in York, the Office of Government Property has appointed Saurabh Bhandari to lead major property programmes across the government estate.

Bhandari, who joins from the New Hospitals Programme, will become director, property delivery and transformation, and will lead the drive to improve the condition of the public sector estate.

He will also be responsible for the ongoing improvement of facilities management in government buildings, and continue the delivery of the One Public Estate programme, in partnership with the Local Government Association.

The new appointee is described as “an experienced property professional, having operated at the director level on high-profile, national property programmes in the public and private sectors”.

Mark Chivers, government chief property officer, said: “Saurabh joining us further strengthens our executive team as we continue our journey to drive real, lasting improvements to the government estate – capitalising on public property to support public services and inspire economic growth in regions across the UK.

“He will bring a wealth of expertise and experience in leading large-scale transformational improvement, and I am delighted to have him join the team.”

The OGP’s workload includes:

• Supporting economic growth and regeneration through programmes such as Places for Growth, which is relocating more than 20,000 Civil Service roles out of London and into cities across the UK
• Driving major improvements to the quality, condition, and sustainability of the public estate
• Coordinating the ongoing management of the biggest property portfolio in the UK, comprising more than 140,000 buildings

Bhandari said:

“I am absolutely delighted to be joining the Office of Government Property at such an exciting time. The power and potential of the public estate cannot be overstated.

“We have the opportunity to capitalise on this potential to drive real improvements – not only for our colleagues providing vital public services, but also for people and families up and down the country who can benefit from new jobs, homes, and economic growth.”

He will start in post in May 2024.