The Public Sector Estates Conference 2026
Strategic Partners:
Overview
The UK public estate now comprises 203,300 assets across 159.5 million m², valued at £191.5 billion, a growing portfolio that must deliver more under rising cost pressures. With annual running costs now exceeding £25.6 billion, and increasing demand for flexible, efficient and sustainable infrastructure, public sector leaders face a critical challenge: how to reconfigure the estate to support service delivery, achieve net zero, and unlock long-term value.
Supporters Include:
2026 Agenda
Registration
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Laura Boutle, Managing Director, Navigate Public Estate Consulting (CONFIRMED)
Keynote: Public Estates with Purpose: Rethinking Value, Impact and Legacy
- Reframing public estates as enablers of service delivery, community value and national priorities, not just physical assets to be maintained
- Maximising value from existing assets through smarter use, reconfiguration and active portfolio management to support changing needs and deliver long-term public benefit
- Consolidating and rationalising estate portfolios to reduce costs, release surplus land, and improve outcomes while supporting regeneration and place-based goals
- Using data and digital tools to guide estate planning and track performance, enabling more informed decisions and better long-term investment
- Embedding climate resilience and net zero into all estate decisions to ensure public assets support sustainability targets and future-proof operations
- Driving a coordinated, cross-government property strategy by aligning central departments, agencies and local partners around shared goals and constraints
Dave Sweeney, Associate Director of Sustainability and Partnerships, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside (CONFIRMED)
Keynote: Net Zero & Sustainable Estates by 2030: Climate Resilience and Energy Saving Across the Public Estate
- Assessing the scale of the challenge for decarbonising public buildings by 2030, including emissions targets, legacy estate constraints and regulatory demands
- Exploring retrofit strategies and funding options such as the Re:Fit 5 framework to upgrade energy performance at scale
- Examining the role of smart energy monitoring and digital tools in tracking progress, informing investment, and supporting real-time efficiency improvements
- Understanding compliance with updated UK government frameworks, including PAS 2038 and the Greening Government Commitments
- Showcasing how local authorities and departments are building climate resilience as part of whole-estate sustainability plans
- Reflecting on real-world delivery challenges, from inflation and rising operating costs to skills gaps and long-term planning uncertainty
Jon Rattenbury, Director Climate, Local Partnerships (CONFIRMED)
Key Supporter Session
Speed Meets Security: The Power of Property Auctions
- Speed and security of sale
- Localised expertise
- Evolution of the industry
- Matching terms with circumstance
Oliver Prior, Managing Director, Auction House (CONFIRMED)
Questions and Answers
Comfort Break
Case Study: Unlocking Value from Underused Assets
- Unlocking asset value through disposals and strategic rationalisation to reduce operating costs and generate capital receipts
- Repurposing underused properties to support modern service delivery and align estate use with evolving public needs
- Facilitating community asset transfers to empower local organisations and deliver place-based outcomes
- Releasing surplus land to enable housing development and regeneration that supports local economic growth
- Forming public-private partnerships (PPPs) and local development vehicles to unlock funding, expertise and delivery capacity
- Adopting innovative, forward-thinking estate strategies to improve efficiency, reduce costs and create long-term public value
Joe Garrod, Strategic Director of Place, London Borough of Waltham Forest (CONFIRMED)
Key Supporter Session
From Spare Room to Income Stream: Activating Your Assets to Venue for Hire
- An overview of the current landscape for council owned community assets in the UK, including the scale and cost of underused spaces
- Why SpacetoCo chose to launch in the UK in 2025 and how the platform supports true activation of community venues
- What successful activation looks like in practice, from reducing customer service enquiries to increasing bookings, access and revenue
- A real world case study demonstrating impact, followed by Q&A and the opportunity to see the platform in action
Jessica Davies, UK Lead, SpacetoCo (CONFIRMED)
Hannah Yorke, Business Development Manager, SpacetoCo (CONFIRMED)
Questions and Answers
Lunch Break
Breakout Networking
This interactive session offers a dedicated space for delegates to share the key challenges their organisations are currently facing and discuss the practical solutions that are making a real difference on the ground.
Whether you’re rationalising office space, retrofitting for sustainability, driving local partnerships or investing in your estate’s workforce, this is a chance to exchange ideas, ask questions and connect with peers tackling similar priorities.
Case Study: Creating Youth-First, Community-Rooted Spaces
- Overview of youth charity OnSide and the network of 18 state-of-the-art Youth Zones across the country
- OnSide’s approach to designing new Youth Zones and the relationship built over time with John Puttick Associates in delivering high quality youth facilities
- Impact created by Youth Zones with young people, the community and across towns/cities
- Case study of Horizon Youth Zone in Grimsby: developing local partnerships and embedding in the community to ensure the new Youth Zone is a success
Clare Kanakides, Director of Operations, OnSide (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Horizon Youth Zone
Set at the heart of Grimsby Town, a collection of Grade-II Listed Victorian warehouses facing the River Freshney have been refurbished to create a new Youth Zone for young people of the area.
Key themes include:
- Regenerating an important site at the heart of Grimsby, activating the town centre
- Creating activities for young people including social spaces, arts and maker workshops, performance and music spaces, as well as sports and fitness facilities
- A complex mix of restoration, re-building, and new buildings to celebrate the architectural heritage and bring exciting contemporary design to the site
- Improving the thermal performance of the existing structures, reducing embodied carbon in new construction and integrating renewables to achieve sustainability within cost constraints
John Puttick, Director, John Puttick Associates (CONFIRMED)
Questions and Answers
Comfort Break
Keynote: Redesigning the Estate: Navigating Change, Cost and Complexity
- Navigating complexity by aligning estate planning with wider public service reform and regional devolution
- Rationalising and reconfiguring estate portfolios to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency
- Adapting estate strategy to hybrid working, changing user needs and new service delivery models
- Leveraging data, analytics and digital tools to drive better decision-making and asset performance to optimise occupancy, cut energy use, and identify opportunities for reinvestment
- Embedding sustainability, energy transition and safety into the core of estate transformation
- Building leadership capability and delivery confidence across the sector to manage complexity at pace
Matthew Dibben, Director of Regeneration, Growth and Investment, Lambeth Council (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Building the Future Estates Workforce: Skills, Leadership and Talent for a Changing Sector
- Upskilling estates professionals to meet the demands of net zero, digital transformation and modern construction methods
- Attracting and retaining talent by redefining public sector estates careers with clear progression, purpose and professional development
- Building leadership capability at all levels to deliver complex estate transformation in fast-changing policy and economic environments
- Expanding training, apprenticeships and entry routes to strengthen the pipeline of diverse, multidisciplinary talent
- Embedding diversity, equity and inclusion in estates recruitment and workforce development strategies across central and local government
- Fostering collaboration between departments, agencies and professional bodies to create a shared vision for estates workforce capability
Damian Cross, Director of Land and Property – GMCA, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (CONFIRMED)
Questions and Answers
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Laura Boutle, Managing Director, Navigate Public Estate Consulting (CONFIRMED)
Conference Close
Get in Touch
Speakers
Jon Rattenbury
Director Climate
Local Partnerships
Damian Cross
Director Land & Property
Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Clare Kanakides
Director of Operations
OnSide
John Puttick
Director
John Puttick Associates
Dave Sweeney
Associate Director of Sustainability and Partnerships
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside
Matthew Dibben
Director of Regeneration, Growth and Investment
Lambeth Council
Joe Garrod
Strategic Director of Place
London Borough of Waltham Forest
Oliver Prior
Managing Director
Auction House
Hannah Yorke
Business Development Manager
SpacetoCo
Jessica Davies
UK Lead
SpacetoCo
Laura Boutle
Managing Director
Navigate Public Estate Consulting Limited
Testimonials
‘Great event covering a broad range of Public Sector estates examples and focus, with good speakers with live examples showing learnings and outcomes’
‘Great event covering a broad range of Public Sector estates examples and focus, with good speakers with live examples showing learnings and outcomes’
‘Excellent overview of differing approaches taken to common problems’
‘Highly topical areas of discussion for Local Authorities and the wider Public Sector’
Why You Should Attend?
- Strategic Insights: Hear from senior leaders shaping public estate policy and strategy across central and local government, NHS, education, and blue light services.
- Case Studies: Discover practical examples of estate transformation, from digital optimisation and MMC to net zero retrofits and rationalisation projects.
- Policy and Regulation Updates: Understand what’s coming in 2026 and beyond, covering building safety, ESG requirements, decarbonisation targets, planning reforms and procurement frameworks.
- Collaborative Models: Learn how organisations are working together through One Public Estate, shared hubs, and place-based strategies to unlock value and improve services.
- Build Your Professional Network: Connect with public sector estate professionals, consultants, suppliers and policymakers tackling similar challenges and priorities.
- Drive Efficiency and Value in Your Estate: Take away actionable ideas to help reduce running costs, repurpose assets and improve utilisation.
- Develop Workforce and Leadership Capability: Explore strategies for upskilling teams, attracting talent and building a future-ready estates workforce aligned to public sector transformation goals.
Who Should Attend?
| Job Title Examples | Organisation Type Examples |
| Public Sector Estate Directors / Head of Estates | Local Authorities/ Councils |
| Sustainability Leads | Health Care providers and adjacent organizations |
| Digital & Data Strategy leads | Central Government/ Civil Service |
| Workforce & Skills Development Manger | Emergency Services |
Pricing Options
PRIVATE SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
PUBLIC SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
VOLUNTARY SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
Sponsorship
Raise Your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business
If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us HERE
IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.
Virtual vs F2F
Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:
- Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
- Lower sponsorship package costs
- No travel/accommodation
- Less time out of the office
- No stand materials required (lower costs)
- 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
- Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
- Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
- Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)
To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below:
