Room for Improvement (Audit Commission, June 2009)
This report examines the progress local councils have made on making more effective and efficient use of their property assets, "(worth £250 billion in 2008)", since the Audit Commission’s Hot Property report in 2000. This latest report outlines the way forward for councils to manage their assets strategically. It is supplemented by case studies (PDF file, 28 pages, 592 KB) and a briefing for members (PDF file, 16 pages, 389 KB) containing a checklist to help them assess how well their council is performing. There is also an Asset Management Financial Comparisons tool to compare the value of, and capital spend on, property assets over time or for an individual year.

Asset Management in Local Government (Audit Scotland, May 2009)
An Audit Scotland study into asset management finds that many council buildings are in poor condition and others are unsuitable for the services being delivered from them. It concludes that councils need better strategies and systems for managing their assets.

Guidance for auditors (Audit Commission, first published 2008)
Section 8 – KLOE 3.2 of this online resource provides guidance on asset management for auditors undertaking use of resources assessments of local public service providers. It provides characteristics of performance against the key line of enquiry (KLOE) – Does the organisation manage its assets effectively to help deliver its strategic priorities and service needs? (KLOE 3.2). There is also guidance on KLOEs for the use of natural resources (KLOE 3.1), and other KLOEs relating to managing capital assets and procurement.

The summary scores for the 2008/09 use of resources assessment for single-tier and county councils, district councils, police authorities and fire and rescue authorities are summarised in Auditing the accounts and for primary care trusts in Auditors' Local Evaluation and Use of Resources 2008/09. The individual scores for these audited bodies for 2008/09 are also published.

Building on Strong Foundations: A Framework for Local Authority Asset Management (CLG, 2008)
Sets out the CLG policy context and framework for local authority asset management and promotes the key features of effective asset management.

Asset Management topic guides (RICS 2009)
Seven topic-based leaflets aimed at local authorities, commissioned by Communties and Local Government (CLG), and published by the RICS cover:

• Introduction: Sustainable Communities and Asset management
• 01: Transfer of Assets to Community Ownership and management
• 02: Making the Right Choices
• 03: Value for Money
• 04: Measuring Asset Management Performance
• 05: Improving the Customer’s Experience
• 06: Tenanted Non Residential Property

RICS Public Sector Property Asset Management Guidelines (RICS, 2008)
This website set-up by the RICS 2008 and aimed at the public sector contains the RICS guide to asset management. This guide published in 2008 was sponsored by CLG and is endorsed by national agencies operating in the field of asset management.

TISonline Asset Management
A subscription service provided by CIPFA provides online guidance on implementing effective asset management and capital investment planning involved in asset management in the public sector.

Hot Property: Getting the best from local authority assets (Audit Commission, 2000)
Although published many years ago, it contains the fundamental principals of good practice in public sector asset management that apply today including collaboration between public sector partners. It also promotes the need for the public sector to review and challenge the performance of their property assets and contains a useful checklist of good practice.

Towards better management of Public Sector Assets (PDF file, 48 pages, 204 KB)
(The Lyons Report, 2004)
This report for the government in 2004 identified that there is room for improvement in public sector asset management in order to achieve the Government's objective of disposing of £30 billion of public assets by 2010/11.