Purpose and Priorities
Purpose
The Strategic grouping of Assets & Facilities has corporate responsibility for delivering both strategic and operational asset management. These functions are performed by the four services within the grouping; Development & Investment, Facilities Management, Estates and Property Maintenance. Assets & Facilities lead on the delivery of asset management; general fund and housing capital investment, primarily the delivery of the suite of major asset projects and new build housing developments; operational and non-operational estate management; energy management; a repairs, maintenance and minor capital works contracting service delivered across the housing and non-housing estates. All activities contribute to improving the condition and suitability of the estate whilst ensuring the delivery of operational and financial efficiencies. The aim of the strategic grouping is to provide efficient, effective and sustainable services which deliver best value and continuous improvement.
Strategic Priorities
The executive area is faced with various challenges and opportunities over the next three years. The key strategic priorities are summarised as follows:
- Delivery of the Council’s 30-year capital investment plan – the plan is primarily focussed on delivering against national and/or local priorities, including the completion of new schools (Boclair Academy and Woodland View School) and the construction of a new Balmuildy Primary School, in addition to two major refurbishments of existing primary schools (Bearsden and Milngavie) and the consideration of options for a new Westerton PS. The construction of a new Allander Leisure Centre is a key construction project, delivering a state of the adult leisure facility and adult day care centre to support some of our most vulnerable adults.
- Demonstrable improvement in asset related performance – investment is targeted to improve the performance of our assets in terms of their condition and suitability. This performance is reported annually as part of the suite of LGBF indicators. This work will include investment to ensure ongoing compliance with our statutory duties.
- Development and implementation of planned preventative maintenance model across the Operational and Non-Operational estates, incorporating an integrated revenue and capital investment model – the intention is to deliver the most cost effective model for maintaining and improving our asset base now and into the future.
- Further implementation of Mobile Technology across all relevant services
- Improved accessibility across the operational estate
- Effective financial planning and management with targeted financial performance improvements and delivery of all revenue savings targets within approved timescales
- Continued review of service delivery model across the strategic grouping to ensure efficient performance and continued delivery of best value
- Carbon reduction and energy management – ongoing legislative requirement to reduce our carbon footprint. Changes to legislation will place further emphasis on the Authority to reduce energy consumption and/or move to more sustainable, low carbon energy sources across the Housing and non-Housing estates over the next 15 years. This will be a key focus of the strategic grouping and will underpin all development activity.
- Continued investment in new build housing projects (SHIP/AHIP2) and in elemental upgrades across the existing estate, helping to maintain Scottish Housing Quality Standards (SHQS) and achieving energy performance targets as required by the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH).
Work of the Teams
The Assets & Facilities Strategic Grouping comprises the services noted below. These services have the following core responsibilities:
Facilities Management
The Facilities Management service is responsible for the delivery of a cohesive building support service to all buildings owned or operated by the Council. Facilities Management provide a wide range of services which includes but is not limited to catering, cleaning, porterage and janitorial, security, minor repairs and maintenance and the provision of the school crossing patrol service. The Facilities Management service provides support to both the school and corporate estate including supporting the delivery of the Council’s accommodation strategy.
Property Maintenance
The Property Maintenance team undertakes repairs and maintenance across the Council’s property estate, which includes circa 3,500 housing properties in addition to all operational and non-operational assets. Operationally this involves reactive repairs, void management, gas servicing, fixed electrical testing and PAT testing. The service also undertakes a range of capital works on behalf of both Housing and other Council service areas.
Development & Investment
The Development & Investment service seeks to ensure effective stewardship and development of the Council’s assets in order that they contribute to the Council and its partners’ overarching vision and intended outcomes, maximising their effectiveness and supporting sustainable economic growth and placemaking. The services provided are:
- Corporate Asset Management;
- Capital Programme Development and Monitoring;
- Delivery of Major Assets Projects; and
- Housing Investment
The service has an important role in enabling other services across the Council to deliver their strategic priorities by ensuring the availability of a fit for purpose asset portfolio. It seeks to facilitate this by engaging services from across the Council in asset planning, management and monitoring and thereafter feeding into/from the Senior Management Team and partners as necessary.
The Housing Investment team manage all aspects of investment across the Housing portfolio, including but not limited to new house building programmes, investment in elemental upgrades in existing stock, energy efficiency measures, stock condition surveys, electrical rewires, leading on the delivery of works in multi-tenure properties and the development and delivery of the Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan.
Estates
Estates manage all aspects of the non-operational estate including the leasing and day to day management of the Council’s investment property portfolio; acquisitions and disposals; non-domestic rates appeals, applications for wayleaves and/or servitudes and provision of cartographic services.
In addition, the service provides a range of technical support services, including PPP contract management, as well as supporting climate change and carbon reduction initiatives.
Estates Maintenance ensure the condition of the operational estate is maintained in addition to ensuring the Council complies with its statutory duties in respect of gas and electrical installations, water quality and ventilation.
The Quality Assurance team ensures the standard of cleaning across the operational estate is monitored and action is taken to ensure standards are maintained and enhanced.
Key Improvement Actions for 2023-2024
- Increase the percentage of Council buildings which are suitable and in a satisfactory condition
- Increase the percentage of Council buildings which are accessible
- Introduction of an integrated planned preventative maintenance and capital investment plan
- Full review of all SLA’s relating to services delivered in respect of Council assets
- Data gathering
- Non-Emergency Repairs – improve turnaround time
- Increase the percentage of Council houses which are energy efficient (EESSH)
- Increase the percentage of Council houses that meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS)
- Annual Gas Servicing, ensuring 100% of gas plant is checked/serviced in year
- Continue to reduce turnaround times for void properties
- Increase uptake of school meals
- Increase use of locally sourced produce in production of school meals