Agenda item

To present the report of the Head of Highways, Waste and Property.

The report of the Head of Highways, Waste and Property incorporating the Asset Management Strategic Plan for 224 to 20229 was presented for the Committee’s consideration.

The report was presented by Councillor Carwyn Jones, Portfolio Member for Corporate Business and Customer Experience on behalf of Councillor Dafydd Rhys Thomas, Portfolio Member for Highways, Waste and Property who was unable to be present because of another Council commitment in relation to his portfolio duties. The purpose of the Asset Management Strategic Plan is to ensure that the Council has a financially and environmentally sustainable asset portfolio, rationalised to be fit for purpose and safe for the delivery of services. The Plan sets out key priority areas in relation to suitability, sustainability, collaboration, and data, identifies the risks to the delivery of the Plan and outlines the governance and accountability arrangements.

The Head of Highways, Waste and Property referred to the Plan as a corporate plan led by the Property Service working together with other services within the Council with asset interests in the form of schools, leisure centres and care homes wherein the budget for those buildings is held. The objective of the Plan is to ensure the Council’s assets are well managed so that they are fit for purpose thereby driving efficiency and opportunities for rationalisation leading to buildings that are sustainable and which contribute to meeting the Council’s decarbonisation and net zero obligations. The Council is currently facing a number of asset management challenges as recognised in the foreword to the Plan at a time of limited capital resources. The availability and use of accurate and up to date information and data are therefore essential in ensuring the Council makes effective decisions about its property assets and achieves its objectives.

The Chief Property and Asset Officer elaborated on the four priority areas and what they entailed highlighting the broad and varied nature of the Council’s asset portfolio, the significant maintenance costs which the portfolio incurs and the gap between what the Council wants and is able to do, and the resources it has available to work with.

The main points of discussion by the Committee were as follows –

·       Whether it would be helpful and appropriate in the table of the Council’s assets to include additional information about each asset type’s value, backlog maintenance requirements and planned maintenance costs to keep them up to standard in order to provide the public with a fuller picture of how much it costs to run a Council and maintain its physical assets.

·      The arrangements for monitoring achievement and measuring success

·      The responsibility for managing and maintaining listed buildings

The Committee was further advised as follows –

·      That the task of collecting and assembling data to create as full as possible a picture of the Council’s assets is in progress but has not been completed. As is noted in the Forward the Council’s capital requirements to modernise and upgrade its existing assets and to deliver on its strategic objectives is estimated at in excess of £300m over the next 5 years. A long-term view needs to be taken of asset management to enable the Council to be clear about where it needs to invest in the years to come. The Asset Management Strategic Plan is closely linked to the Capital Strategy which sets out the principles to be used as guidance for capital priorities and resource allocation across the Council’s services. The Asset Management Strategic Plan does not however include highways infrastructure which is the subject of a separate plan.

·      That a number of delivery plans will sit below the Strategic Plan with timelines for the delivery of each element/project and their progress will be monitored via corporate processes. The terms of reference of the Land and Assets Group are being also being reviewed to ensure the group remains fit for purpose.

·      That listing is a characteristic of some properties and must be considered in making changes to the building or undertaking repairs and maintenance works and may be subject to listed building consent. The responsibility with regard to manging development with regard to listed buildings lies with the Planning Service in conjunction with CADW whilst the Property Service must comply with the requirements in relation to listed building status when carrying out works.

Having scrutinised the Asset Management Strategic Plan 2024 to 2029 the Corporate Scrutiny Committee resolved to recommend the Plan to the Executive for adoption by the Full Council.