Councillors and committees

Agenda item

PROPERTY PROGRAMME UPDATE (FACILITIES MANAGEMENT- FORWARD MAINTENANCE, SURPLUS ASSETS AND DISPOSALS WORKSTREAM)

6a. FACILITIES MANAGEMENT- FORWARD MAINTENANCE

 

6b. SURPLUS ASSETS AND DISPOSALS WORKSTREAM

 

Purpose of the report:

 

The purpose of the two strands of this report is to:

 

a.    To provide insight on how Forward Maintenance Works (Life-cycle Replacement Works) are identified and prioritised (not day-to-day compliance, planned or reactive maintenance).

 

b.    To outline the process and progress to date of the Surplus Assets and Disposals workstream as well as providing information on how the workstream generates and takes forward housing development opportunities.

 

 

Minutes:

Witnesses:

 

Natalie Bramhall, Cabinet Member for Property and Waste

 

Leigh Whitehouse, Deputy Chief Executive and Executive Director, Resources

Simon Crowther, Director, Land and Property

Graham Glenn, Head of Acquisitions & Disposals

Brian Boundy, Facilities Management

 

Officers summarised the Forward Work Maintenance and Surplus Assets and Disposals Workstream papers previously. Forecast works were outlined in addition to planned work in children’s homes and adult care homes. All work undertaken supported the Greener Futures delivery plan to achieve net zero by 2030.

 

 

Key points raised during the discussion:

 

1.    The Chairman asked for an indication of the amount of money being considered for children's homes? Officers explained that there was a range of £2.7m and £4.3m which would consider the long-term hold of the property or the medium-term strategy.

 

2.    The Chairman asked if there could be more focus on keeping assets in good repair. Officers explained that to manage the estate they were putting in place a risk-based maintenance regime as opposed to a reactive approach.

Based on that risk and knowledge of our asset condition, officers plan to put together a program of works for next year and subsequent years that will meet that that need.

 

3.    The Chairman asked if officers were satisfied they had the required resources in relation to the surplus assets disposal workstream? Officers said that they had extra colleagues joining the team in February and were reviewing some of the supply chain activities in terms of external resources. This would be brought through on the forward plan for a procurement.

 

4.    The Vice-Chairman asked if more information was available regarding the spending on external resources secured to bridge the shortfall in capacity?

Officers said that the external consultants, Turner and Townsend, were brought in to support specifically selected projects. They had worked with the capital development team and the relationship had been utilised to then provide additional resources where there were vacancies within the project surveying team, bolstering capacity to deliver the projects that were in the pipeline. The Vice-Chairman asked how much Turner and Townsend were paid? Officers explained that they were paid on a fee basis, at a commercially agreed rate per project and value of those projects.

 

5.    The Chairman queried the reference to maintenance in children's homes and the excessive amount of time taken for some repairs to be completed? Officers said that temporary solution were provided but that sometimes there were delays with supply chains and the manufacturing of items that needed to be replaced.

 

 

 

 

Recommendations:

 

The Resources and Performance Select Committee recommends that Cabinet Member for Property and Waste ensures that appropriate maintenance and repairs to the County Council owned properties are not deferred.

Supporting documents: