Second GPA term confirmed for Ritchie

Pat Ritchie, formerly chief executive of Newcastle City Council, will chair the Government Property Agency for a further three years, running to 2027.

Ritchie will continue to work closely with the wider board and executive team to deliver the GPA’s stated mission of creating a better-connected, better-quality and greener government property estate.

Major projects the GPA is undertaking include the Government Hubs Programme, which is intended to create modern, shared workspaces where civil service teams can collaborate and work productively.

This includes the new Darlington Economic Campus, which will be home to nine government departments including HM Treasury and is due to be completed in 2026. A site has now been selected.

The GPA recently announced the appointment of Mark Bourgeois as interim chief executive and will be undertaking a recruitment process for a permanent chief executive this year.

As well as her time running Newcastle, Ritchie has also been chief executive of the Homes & Communities Agency (now Homes England) and was deputy chief executive of the One North East regional development agency.

Since Ritchie joined in 2020 the agency has grown significantly, now managing around 10m sq ft of the government’s property portfolio, providing strategic planning and workplace services to departments including design, property technology and workplace experience.

Ritchie said: “The GPA has already made great strides in creating a more modern, joined-up and efficient estate and I look forward to building on this success in my second term as chair.

“I’m incredibly passionate about the work we do, and my focus will continue to be on making sure we deliver a great experience for our clients and looking at how our activity can deliver wider benefits across the UK.

“By creating fantastic places that bring government teams closer to the communities they serve, we’re enabling our civil service to make the best possible impact it can while opening up opportunities for more people to enjoy rewarding public sector careers.”