Agenda item

To consider a report by the Managing Director (Communities, Partnerships & Projects).

(Councillor J A Gray, Executive Councillor for Resources, was in attendance for this item).

With the assistance of a report by the Managing Director (Communities, Partnerships and Projects) (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Panel received an update on proposals to prepare a Cambridgeshire Public Sector Asset Management Strategy and establish a Making Assets Count Board for Huntingdonshire.

By way of introduction, the Managing Director (CPP) explained that the Asset Management Strategy had been devised to enable all public sector organisations in the Cambridgeshire area to develop a joined-up approach to the management and use of their property assets. Sharing facilities with other public sector partners had the potential to generate significant financial benefits through reduced costs and enhanced returns and work had already been undertaken to capture details of local public sector assets in a database. He went on to explain that it was now proposed to establish a Project Board in each of the District areas to focus on specific projects where there appeared to be potential for sharing accommodation and improving service delivery. Members’ attention was drawn to the terms of reference for the Huntingdonshire Board and those projects which had been identified as a priority. These included Huntingdon Town Centre, Huntingdon Operations Centre, St Neots Town Centre, Training Facilities and the development of community hubs for service delivery at Yaxley, Ramsey and Sawtry.

Members welcomed the principle of joined up asset management. However, given that the proposal was expected to yield financial benefits, they suggested that the report should contain performance targets. It was also suggested that the project should have a more broadly defined commercial objective and that further consideration should be given to the Huntingdonshire Board’s aims and objectives. In addition, Members queried whether there was any potential to involve the voluntary sector in these proposals. They were informed that there was likely to be some cross over with the voluntary sector support project and with ongoing efforts to let parts of the Council’s Headquarters to other organisations.

Discussion then ensued on a range of issues including the need to ensure that decisions made in the current economic climate did not prejudice any future decisions about office accommodation, how to ensure that the District Council achieved the best value from the Huntingdonshire Board and the impact on the local economy if public sector organisations were to lease fewer properties. Members noted that whilst there had been little interest from the commercial sector in renting space in the Council’s headquarters, it was hoped that the Making Assets Count initiative would lead to parts of the Council’s buildings being occupied by other organisations.

In response to a question by Councillor T V Rogers regarding potential future changes to the structure of local government, the Panel was informed that the local authority property portfolio would be flexible to suit the circumstances of the time and the local area. Members suggested that this should take into account the potential in the longer term for public sector employee numbers to go up as well as down. Whereupon, it was

RESOLVED

i)  that the Cabinet be recommended to

a)  note the contents of the report;

b)  confirm their support for the Making Assets Count Programme and the establishment of a Huntingdonshire 'MAC' Board; and

c)  endorse the Cambridgeshire Public Sector Asset Management Strategy; and

ii)  that the Managing Director (Communities, Partnerships and Projects) be requested to submit a further report outlining progress made on the Huntingdonshire projects in six months time.

At the conclusion of discussion on this item, Councillor J A Gray, newly appointed Executive Councillor for Resources, was invited to address the Panel on his approach to his new role. As part of his address, Councillor Gray thanked his predecessor for the hard work, which he would endeavour to build upon. He explained that in the longer term he would like to achieve a balanced budget and that some progress had already been made in this respect. The more immediate question for him was the historically low level of the council tax base and future council tax levels.

Councillor Gray emphasised the importance of a strong voluntary sector locally and the need to ensure that charities did not diminish in the current economic climate. With regards to the financial challenges facing the Council, he stated his intention to discuss increased borrowing and the reduction in Council reserves with the Panel in due course. Members were advised that housing benefits and the localisation of business rates were also matters to be addressed. The latter had the potential to make the District a better place to live and work. Consequently there would be a need to ensure that the area continued to be competitive and well served by local businesses.

Councillor Rogers thanked Councillor Gray for his remarks and emphasised that the Panel would like to work with the Cabinet to address the financial challenges faced by the Cabinet. In concluding the discussion he urged Councillor Gray and the Cabinet to continue to consider the Council's Budget in its entirety and not to adopt a piecemeal approach to financial decisions.