Issue - meetings

To approve the Asset Management Plan (AMP), which is a key corporate document that describes the way in which the Council manages and maintains its property portfolios. 

RESOLVED

That the Asset Management Plan 2016-2021 be approved.

The Cabinet considered the report circulated with the agenda (copy attached to the official minutes).

In the absence of Mr Finch and Mrs Keegan, Mr Over introduced the report. He drew attention to the revised Appendix 1 to the Asset Management Plan circulated to the meeting, and to some minor amendments to Figure 1 (page 68).

He explained that the Council owned property worth £115m, received rental income from it of £2.5m (which excluded operational income such as car parking fees), spent £400,000 a year on maintaining it, and would spend £3m over the next five years on capital works. The Council’s property holdings included operational property for delivery of services and non-operational property, which was held for income generation purposes, such income being used to protect service delivery in an environment of reducing government funding.

It had been a compulsory requirement for councils to have an Asset Management Plan (AMP), but this was no longer the case. However, in view of the scale of the Council’s property holdings and the growing reliance that the Council placed on the income generated from it, the Cabinet Members and the Commercial Programme Board had agreed that it would be right to replace the Council’s previous AMP, which had now expired.

Mr Over drew particular attention to the performance indicators in Appendix 3 and the action plan in Appendix 6.

Mr Barrow pointed out, in relation to paragraph 1.5.1 of the AMP, that the Climate Change Strategy (2008-2013) had been superseded by the Climate Change Action Plan (2016-2020).

Mrs Hardwick asked about the reference to a centrally managed public sector estate in paragraph 1.4.1 on devolution and service sharing.

Mr Over explained that the concept of one public estate was already established in a number of large urban areas, where public authorities had found they could deliver services more efficiently if they combined their estates. Pilot areas for expansion of the programme were being sought. This could become relevant locally as shared services and devolution deals progressed.  The Chief Executive added that many aspects of this were being discussed. For example, the Housing and Communities Agency (HCA) already had responsibility for the surplus land holdings of the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice. However, it did not depend on devolution for such initiatives to be taken forward. The Grange at Midhurst was a multi-user building, and the Council was about to share space in East Pallant House with other services. The Southern Gateway in Chichester was also an opportunity for public land holdings to be brought together for better use. However, this did not imply nationalisation of public land holdings. The Council would be able to decide whether or not to take part in devolution or shared services deals.

RESOLVED

That the Asset Management Plan 2016-2021 be approved.