Agenda item

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.

The report sets out the progress of the Stockport Property Alliance (formally the Stockport Strategic Property Partnership) and provides a summary of the SPA Business Plan, including its focus on the delivery of significant property savings to the Council.   The report also outlines the achievements of the SPA and Carillion Stockport Property Service, since its formation in February 2014.  One of the key strategic objectives of the SPA is to prepare the Stockport Asset Management Plan and this is also set out in the report.

The Scrutiny Committee is asked to consider the contents of the report and provide any comments.

Officer contact Murray Carr   on Tel: 0161-474-3019 or by email on murray.carr@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out progress in relation to the Stockport Property Alliance (SPA) (formally the Stockport Strategic Property Partnership) and providing the Scrutiny Committee with a summary of the SPA Business Plan, including its focus on the delivery of significant property savings to the Council.   The report also outlined the achievements of the SPA and Carillion Stockport Property Service, since its formation in February 2014.  One of the key strategic objectives of the SPA was to prepare the Stockport Asset Management Plan and this was also set out in the report.

The Deputy Executive Leader and Portfolio Holder for Corporate, Customer and Community Services (Councillor Iain Roberts) together with Paul Kelly (SPA Partnership Director) attended the meeting to answer members questions.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         While the three school building projects being delivered by Carillion have not progressed as quickly as expected, they are confident that the overall project delivery would not be delayed. The number of school contracts remained the same as under NPS.

·         In relation to services to schools, the SPA should make working with the Council’s associated bodies a priority to reach a ‘one-stop-shop’ service for schools to ensure they are receiving value for money, consistent and appropriate levels of service.

·         While the intention was to rationalise the corporate estate through property disposal, this should only be done where an asset has been identified as surplus following careful consideration through the Investing in Stockport programme. There was a need to deliver the following priorities rather than simply delivering savings:

·         Contributing towards the savings required by the Council

·         Focussing on  growth – contributing to the Council’s regeneration programme

·         Increasing income to the Council.

·         A structure chart showing the governance arrangements would be helpful.

·         The Strategic Asset Management Plan (Section 3) should clarify that the “total net internal area of 104,300m2” did not include schools.

·         The Alliance Board included senior managers within the Council which was positive and was not replicated by other Council’s.

·         The Partnership Director had now been included in the Alliance Board membership.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.