Agenda item

The Committee is asked to review the draft Asset Management Policy and Strategy 2022/23 - 2025/26 to ensure it meets the objectives in the Our Council Plan and is flexible enough to meet the changing needs and work practices of the County Council.  The Committee is asked to feed any comments for consideration into the review ahead of the Policy and Strategy being finalised.

7.1      The Committee scrutinised a report by the Assistant Director of Property and Assets (copy appended to the signed minutes).

7.2      Summary of responses to Committee members’ questions and comments: -

·       IT assets are managed by the IT department – other assets such as fire and security systems are managed by Facilities Management through contracts or cyclical maintenance - maintenance or replacement will be driven by the asset condition survey

·       The asset condition survey has been enabled by the introduction of the new Concerto database– information from this will guide the need for replacement

·       The Council has struggled to appoint property Estate Surveyors, Contract Managers and Project Managers but will work to fill vacant posts by making the roles more attractive through job re-evaluation and more competitive salaries. The Property Team will continue to work closely with the Mult-Disciplinary Consultant partner

·       The shortage of staff was not affecting quality of advice, but is slowing the process

·       The Committee suggested that the Joint Venture partner should be added to objective 3 of the Strategy – this would be considered

·       When new ways of working are introduced, it could be possible that one or two major Council office hubs would be surplus to requirement as less office space would be needed

·       The rationalisation of the estate is a by-product of new ways of working, it is not a driver, as things would be done more efficiently with more hybrid working

·       All departments had been consulted on their requirements and the best way to deliver their services

·       Consultants had been appointed and their report would be completed soon

·       Those officers who could not work at home during the pandemic, were able to do so from Council offices, this will continue

·       Shared office space could become normal practice between teams

·       There was some concern that the sale or transfer of buildings could be affected if only essential maintenance was carried out – a balance had to be struck between capital and revenue demands

·       Joint Venture projects were moving ahead at pace and an update would come to the Committee in November

·       Special Educational Needs & Disability provision was part of the capital programme, not the Asset Management Strategy

·       The Council is open to discussing the disposal of assets with district/borough councils where feasible and appropriate

·       The Council had to balance its desire to help communities against what buildings it could afford to run and maintain

·       It is a legal requirement for the Council to get the best consideration possible when it grants a lease or disposes of a building

·       Developers do not currently build schools to carbon neutral standards as it is not a Department for Education requirement

·       Carbon reduction is a priority in all Council decisions, but financial viability has to be a consideration when assessing the business cases

7.3      Resolved – that the Committee: -

                   i.        Supports the draft Asset Management Policy and Strategy 2022/23 - 2025/26 and agrees that it meets the objectives in the Our Council Plan and is flexible enough to meet the changing needs and work practices of the County Council.

                  ii.        Requests that the Joint Venture Partnership arrangements should be reflected in the objectives of the Asset Strategy

                 iii.        Supports the SMARTER working initiatives and requests that the committee is kept up to date on the outcomes

                 iv.        Recognises the delays caused by recruitment issues and supports the work being done to rectify this situation

                  v.        Recognises the issues in relation to carbon neutrality