Decision details

GMP establishment in 2010 was at c12,000 officers and staff (8,000 officers and 4,000 staff). These numbers reduced over subsequent years during the extended period of austerity. The requirement to find savings and to reduce estates capacity, in line with the reductions in officers and staff, meant that the Force followed a strategy of disposing of the older, more expensive to maintain, building stock and the surrender of leases. The increases in establishment over recent years, together with the predicted growth in numbers during 2022/23, will return officer and staff numbers to the 2010 level. However, there is insufficient capacity within the Force estate to accommodate the increased officer/staff numbers. This is particularly apparent at Central Park with pressures on space being felt within both the City of Manchester District Headquarters and the Force Headquarters buildings.
Taking additional space on Central Park will relieve the space pressures. It will also provide much needed meeting space.

GMCA work with GMP Business Support Services to agree heads of terms for one and a half floors (fully furnished) of the former Fujitsu Building at Central Park as a short-term sub lease with a view to occupying that space asap (estimated from June 2022). Specifically, this sub lease is for a period of two and a half years at a budgeted rental cost in 2022/23 of £400k, with almost 200 desk spaces for use by the 700 currently displaced staff

The possibility of using GMCA premises has been explored, however, very few available locations have been identified
GMCA have also spoken to local authority partners to ascertain if any available space, but nothing was forthcoming.