Issue - meetings

This report seeks Members’ approval of a proposed strategy for using the limited revenue and capital resources available to deal with the substantial repair and maintenance backlog of the Council’s corporate land, buildings and highways, by basing decisions on future investment on the need and viability of the asset.

RESOLVED: (i)         That Option A be agreed and the 10-year Corporate Repair and Maintenance Strategy with performance indicators, detailed at Annex 1 to the report, be approved.

REASON:      So that a co-ordinated approach to dealing with a backlog of maintenance and future repair and maintenance, based upon need and the viability of the assets, is followed.

                        (ii)        That, during the annual budget build process, the appropriate level of annual revenue and capital repair and maintenance resources to assign, in order to ensure the achievement of the objectives and priorities set out in the Strategy, be considered.

REASON:      To ensure that the Strategy is effective and achievable within the 10-year timescale.

Members considered a report which sought their approval for a proposed strategy to use the limited revenue and capital resources available to deal with the substantial repair and maintenance backlog on the Council’s corporate land, buildings and highways.

Although levels of outstanding repair and maintenance had reduced slightly in recent years, they were still very high, as revenue budgets were often only sufficient to deal with urgent repairs.  More recently, capital funds had been allocated to deal with this issue, but there had been no overall structured approach across the Council.  A Repair and Maintenance Strategy would help the Council to deliver its corporate priorities and meet CPA requirements.  A draft Strategy, developed by the Corporate Asset Management Group, was attached as Annex 1 to the report.

Members were asked to decide whether to adopt the proposed Strategy, as recommended (Option A) or to continue with current arrangements and not adopt the Strategy (Option B).  The latter was not recommended, as the lack of co-ordination on limited budgets would mean that Best Value would not be achieved and the CPA requirement for level 3 judgement - to develop and implement a Repair and Maintenance Strategy - would not be met.

Having noted the comments of the Shadow Executive, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That Option A be agreed and the 10-year Corporate Repair and Maintenance Strategy with performance indicators, detailed at Annex 1 to the report, be approved.

REASON:      So that a co-ordinated approach to dealing with a backlog of maintenance and future repair and maintenance, based upon need and the viability of the assets, is followed.

                        (ii)        That, during the annual budget build process, the appropriate level of annual revenue and capital repair and maintenance resources to assign, in order to ensure the achievement of the objectives and priorities set out in the Strategy, be considered.

REASON:      To ensure that the Strategy is effective and achievable within the 10-year timescale.