Cost of running Scotland House in London: FOI release

Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.


FOI reference: FOI/18/00237
Date received: 29 January 2018
Date responded: 22 February 2018

Information requested

The following information relating to Scotland House in London:

A: A full breakdown of the running costs to date. I appreciate that the facility only opened in April 2017 so a projection of annual running costs would be helpful.

B: A list of the costs associated with the set-up of Scotland House.

C: The most recent occupancy and usage figures from date of opening.

Response

The answer to your question is:

A: We estimate the running costs for 2017/18 will be £918,000, including VAT but excluding Scottish Government and Partner staffing costs.

The running cost figure includes rent, rates and utilities as well as the operating costs to run the office including the Membership Services offering. It is important to note that in addition to providing an operational space for staff from each Partner organisation, the London Hub also offers event space, meeting rooms and workspace facilities as well as support services for businesses who are members of Scotland House.

B: The cost to establish Scotland House London Hub was £1.65 million which includes 20% VAT on all eligible charges. This includes legal, design and building management fees, purchasing and fit out of furniture and fittings and the purchase and installation of security, IT, telephony and audiovisual equipment.

The cost of establishing and running Scotland House is shared between four organisations - Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and VisitScotland. These costs are attributed so that 55% is funded by Scottish Government and the remaining 45% funded by the others.

C: There are currently 23 staff working in Scotland House London, 9 from the Scottish Government, 11 from Scottish Enterprise and 1 from VisitScotland.

We have 171 registered members, a figure that has been building gradually over the ten months Scotland House has been operating. As of January 2018, those members had made 315 meeting room bookings and 194 half day hot desk bookings, with utilization rates increasing over time.

Scotland House has also hosted 47 events since opening.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses

Contact

Please quote the FOI reference

Central Enquiry Unit
Email: ceu@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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