Annual running and maintenance costs for various Scottish Government premises: FOI release

Information requested

The annual running costs for the following Scottish Government premises:

- Bute House
- St Andrew’s House
- Victoria Quay
- Saughton House
- Atlantic Quay

You also requested that the response include figures for the past five years (2020–2025) and account for maintenance and repair costs, gas and electricity bills, and other relevant expenses. If any of the buildings are leased, provide the monthly or annual fees for each year.

Response

The annual running costs for the 5 buildings you requested between 2020 and 2025 are shown in the following table:

Property: Bute House	Planned Maintenance Costs (£)	Repair Costs (£)	Gas Costs (£)	Electricity Costs (£)	Water Costs (£)	Rent (£)
FY 2020-2021	39,039.31	5,344.69	3,752.54	6,659.70	5,725.00	105,873.00
FY 2021-2022	41,635.42	10,786.88	3,889.03	8,385.82	5,389.30	105,900.00
FY 2022-2023	41,635.42	3,488.76	2,651.15	7,258.06	6,526.51	105,900.00
FY 2023-2024	44,270.95	9,632.78	12,382.10	17,234.37	6,307.75	105,900.00
FY 2024-2025	47,507.15	10,859.71	1,002.69	20,931.52	6,710.58	110,400.00
Property: St Andrews House	Planned Maintenance Costs (£)	Repair Costs (£)	Gas Costs (£)	Electricity Costs (£)	Water Costs (£)	Rent (£)
FY 2020-2021	660,792.46	53,310.08	70,176.39	135,097.89	63,535.17	-
FY 2021-2022	598,286.95	191,369.09	73,888.12	135,179.86	58,845.53	-
FY 2022-2023	638,073.03	130,684.84	187,192.09	165,197.90	72,663.56	-
FY 2023-2024	685,643.97	132,149.74	137,812.67	288,942.49	72,985.22	-
FY 2024-2025	735,764.54	240,721.33	140,534.11	311,775.96	76,013.57	-
Property: Victoria Quay	Planned Maintenance Costs (£)	Repair Costs (£)	Gas Costs (£)	Electricity Costs (£)	Water Costs (£)	Rent (£)
FY 2020-2021	1,192,137.00	75,169.08	49,033.24	237,567.26	52,052.11	-
FY 2021-2022	1,026,477.55	23,270.67	106,049.75	272,242.78	14,924.76	-
FY 2022-2023	1,094,738.31	38,435.54	270,229.38	449,351.85	25,355.21	-
FY 2023-2024	1,175,775.59	124,882.69	249,001.15	702,021.06	20,423.81	-
FY 2024-2025	1,261,724.79	151,367.43	241,853.35	715,749.72	23,275.50	-
Property: Saughton House	Planned Maintenance Costs (£)	Repair Costs (£)	Gas Costs (£)	Electricity Costs (£)	Water Costs (£)	Rent (£)
FY 2020-2021	726,352.19	409,722.86	38,668.04	165,985.28	45,006.46	192,000.00
FY 2021-2022	562,897.34	334,363.80	52,364.35	160,967.34	31,378.33	192,000.00
FY 2022-2023	600,330.01	183,768.73	135,303.09	198,972.74	38,312.85	192,000.00
FY 2023-2024	644,450.31	130,557.29	105,268.09	350,070.94	41,312.50	192,000.00
FY 2024-2025	691,559.63	144,943.77	123,669.32	387,401.97	38,302.98	192,000.00
Property: 5 Atlantic Quay	Planned Maintenance Costs (£)	Repair Costs (£)	Gas Costs (£)	Electricity Costs (£)	Water Costs (£)	Rent (£)
FY 2020-2021	488,620.00	39,645.71	35,361.30	137,125.77	39,925.00	3,145,744.00
FY 2021-2022	330,259.79	22,744.02	43,458.63	184,587.99	45,028.60	3,145,744.00
FY 2022-2023	352,222.07	75,111.47	122,690.05	277,137.39	49,114.71	3,145,744.00
FY 2023-2024	378,860.65	67,351.87	99,913.38	459,258.00	60,150.07	3,341,125.00
FY 2024-2025	406,555.36	107,105.22	117,319.08	574,280.95	62,551.79	652,255.00

Notes:
Planned Maintenance is maintenance work that is scheduled in advance, based on known asset needs, manufacturer recommendations, statutory requirements, or risk-based planning.

Repair Costs are the expenses incurred to restore an asset, system, or building component to normal operation after a fault, breakdown, or deterioration has occurred. They arise from unplanned or reactive maintenance activities.

Utility costs covering gas, electricity, and water, are the expenses incurred from using the essential services required to keep a building operational. These costs stem from the consumption of energy, water, and other core utilities that ensure the building’s functionality, comfort, and regulatory compliance. This request dates back to the Covid lockdown period, when buildings were largely unoccupied and electricity and gas usage dropped significantly. Energy costs associated with IT Data Centre equipment, incurred on behalf of the wider Scottish Government, are invoiced to Saughton House; however, because these costs do not relate to the building’s operational needs, they have been excluded from the figures presented.

Rental Costs are the expenses incurred for leasing the building or specific areas within the facility. They cover the baseline cost of occupying space and form a major component of overall estate operating expenditure, separate from service delivery costs. St Andrews House and Victoria Quay are rent free as they are owned by the Scottish Government.

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