GSD continues criticism of Government departments moving into costly private premises

The GSD has accused the government of mismanagement over the sale and leaseback of the warehouse building at Eighty-A Queensway, which it says does not represent value for money for taxpayers.

This comes after the Government dismissed the GSD's criticism, saying the first department could move into the building within six months.

The opposition says the government began paying rent of close to ninety thousand pounds a month before the building was ready for occupation, and that delays caused by the absence of basic requirements such as air conditioning and parking revealed poor planning from the outset.

The GSD calculates that the cost to the taxpayer for an empty or partly occupied building will reach around two point three million pounds, nearly four years into a twenty-one year lease that began in September 2023.

Shadow minister Damon Bossino called on the government to disclose the full cost of converting the warehouse into fit-for-purpose offices.