Council to review property management systems
Thursday, August 25 2005
Scottish Borders Council is reviewing the way it buys, sells and manages property, in order to increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
The review is part of a plan to transfer Council property to corporate ownership from 6 April 2006 and reflects SBC’s desire to introduce a more strategic approach to property management and construction projects.
At an Executive Council meeting on Tuesday 23 August, it was proposed to consider in more detail the advantages of a dedicated Property and Facilities Division within the Technical Services Department. A review of the Council’s current use of its land and property holdings was also proposed.
A new Infrastructure Projects Division is also being considered to manage all major construction projects, centralise expertise and reduce duplication of effort. It will incorporate SBC’s current engineering and construction services.
SBC owns land and property with a market value of more than £150 million and an insurance (replacement) value of £440 million. Under the present system, different properties belong to different departments, while routine maintenance is largely centralised and provided by the Technical Services department. However, many UK Councils are recognising the benefits of combining facilities management with property management to create an organisation that can plan, design, build, operate, maintain, adapt and, ultimately, dispose of property.
Director of Technical Services, Callum Hay, said that SBC also wants to review the way it manages construction projects: “Major construction projects, such as the 3HS new schools project and the proposed Railway, are more complex than what we’ve done before and need a new approach. Several local authorities in England – now recognised as “best practice” Councils for property management - have already done what we are proposing and have made net savings, once the initial costs are recovered.”
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