Agenda and minutes

Councillors and Officers to declare any interests which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

Councillors and Officers were invited to declare any interests which they had in any of the agenda items for the meeting.

The following interest was declared:-

Personal Interest

To consider a report of the Strategic Head of Service (Legal & Democratic Governance and Monitoring Officer).

The report sets out the Scrutiny Review Panel Procedure Rules and suggests that the Panel should adopt them for the purpose of conducting the review.

The Panel are requested to formally adopt the Scrutiny Review Panel Rules for the purpose of conducting the review.

Officer Contact: David Clee on 0161 474 3137 or email: david.clee@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Strategic Head of Service (Legal & Democratic Governance and Monitoring Officer) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) requesting the Panel to formally adopt the Scrutiny Review Panel Procedure Rules for the review.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Strategic Head of Estate and Asset Management

The report outlines the proposed scope of this review of the Council’s Operational Property Portfolio and the property strategy for the next 5/10 years.

The Panel is requested to determine the scope of the review and outline any areas which they wish to scrutinise further.

Officer Contact: James Kington on 07815 997564 or email: james.kington@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director (Corporate & Support Services) & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which aimed to assist the Panel to scope the review and determine the areas which they wish to explore and scrutinise further as part of the review of the Council’s Operational Property Portfolio and the property strategy for the next 5/10 years.

The Panel were advised that property assets were arranged in three distinct portfolios:-

·         Operational Estate – Land & Property held for service delivery

·         School Estate – Land & Property held for the delivery of education

·         Investment Estate – Land & Property held for income generation or held for sale to generate capital receipts.

James Kington (Strategic Head of Estate & Asset Management, Stockport Council) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         It was clarified that all the Council’s heritage properties were within the Operational Estate.

·         In response to a Member’s question, it was clarified that if, for example, the Council let one of its buildings to a private company it would move from the Operational Estate to the Investment Estate.

·         It was felt that the School Estate was best kept under review by regular reports to the Corporate, Resource Management and Governance Scrutiny Committee and should not be the main focus of this review.

·         The question could be asked whether the Council could own and run more high quality properties or generate more income from them, or whether it should be reducing the numbers of properties which it owned. This would assist in addressing the question whether the Council had the right property portfolio for the next 5-10 years.

·         The question of how the Council used its energy supply could also be asked and whether there was an energy efficiency plan for the next ten years.

·         The reports submitted to the Review Panel would contain a position statement containing details of how many offices, depots etc there were within the estate and provide details of which buildings were vacant etc, and would contain a proposed action plan for the future. The item on the Investment Estate would enable consideration to be given as to how the amount of income generated could be increased.

RESOLVED – (1) That the scope of the review include detailed reports as follows:-

·         A review of the Operational Estate (to include the high level position on maintenance responsibilities and high level responses to the climate emergency, for example, opportunities for decarbonisation) to be submitted to the first meeting of the Panel.

·         A review of the Investment Estate to be submitted to the second meeting of the Panel.

(2) That the School Estate be referenced briefly for the purposes of this review.

To agree the dates of future meetings and the timescales for undertaking the review.

RESOLVED – That the Strategic Head of Service (Legal & Democratic Governance and Monitoring Officer) be authorised to determine the date for the next meeting of the Panel in consultation with the Chair.