The Department for Education’s in-house property company has had its business case approved for an extra year amid a government-wide review of quangos.
LocatED, which secures sites for free schools and provides property advice to ministers, will operate until at least 31 March 2026 after its business case was approved by the Treasury, according to the latest accounts.
The government arm’s-length body, which received more than £9 million in funding last year, was previously granted an extension in 2022 until 31 March 2025.
The latest extension comes at a time when the government is reviewing every quango across all departments, with a view to closing or merging those that cannot be justified.
This process is referenced in LocatED’s accounts, which say that the ongoing review presents a “material uncertainty that may cast significant doubt on the company’s ability to continue as a going concern”.
The document adds that senior management is “actively engaging with the Department for Education and the Cabinet Office”, but “the outcome and timing of the review remain uncertain, which may affect future funding arrangements”.
£40K bonus for LocatED chief
LocatED employs 54 people and is led by chief executive Lara Newman, who last year was paid between £220,000 and £225,000, as well as a £40,000 bonus.
Including pension payments, her total pay was between £280,000 and £285,000 - up from £265,000-£270,000 the year before.
However, salary rises at LocatED may be tighter next year, minutes from a June board meeting suggest. They note that the budget for 2025-26 “has been reduced” and “the pay award for this year must be paid out of this reduced budget so will need to be managed very carefully”.
Ms Newman is also leading the review into curriculum resources quango Oak National Academy, which was originally due to report back last September, then “early 2025”, but has still not published its report.
LocatED’s accounts show that it achieved all of its key performance indicators in 2024-25, with four “exceptional” ratings and one classed as “acceptable”.
Writing in the accounts report, Ms Newman praised her organisation’s “remarkable achievements”. These included generating receipts of £62.6 million through disposing of surplus sites, as well as securing planning consent for 320 new homes and completing 116 residential units, contributing to the government’s housing targets.
“Through our property advisory services, we delivered other financial benefits of over £33 million...meanwhile, our asset management strategy resulted in total savings of £2.55 million on managed assets,” she added.
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