The Regeneration and Major Projects Service Manager submitted a report to the City Executive Board on 17 March 2016 which presented the Asset Management Plan 2016-20 and recommended its adoption by Council thereby providing the basis for the management of the Council’s property assets going forward.

The relevant draft minute of the City Executive Board meeting is attached later in the agenda.

The Board Member will move the recommendations.

Recommendations

The City Executive Board recommends Council to approve the Asset Management Plan 2016-2020 attached at Appendix 1 for adoption by the Council.

Council considered a report to the City Executive Board on 17 March 2016 which presented the Asset Management Plan 2016-20 and recommended its adoption by Council thereby providing the basis for the management of the Council’s property assets going forward.

Council resolved to approve the Asset Management Plan 2016-2020 attached at Appendix 1 for adoption by the Council.

The Regeneration and Major Projects Service Managerhas submitted a report which presents the Asset Management Plan 2016-20 and recommends its adoption by Council thereby providing the basis for the management of the Council’s property assets going forward.

Recommendations: That the City Executive Board resolves to:

1.    Approve the Asset Management Plan 2016-2020 attached at Appendix 1 for adoption by the Council.

The Regeneration and Major Projects Service Manager submitted a report detailing the Asset Management Plan 2016-20 which would provide the basis for the management of the Council’s property assets going forward.

The Executive Board Member, Finance, Corporate Asset Management and Public Health presented the report and recommended its adoption by Council.  The Board noted the growing importance of property assets for long term income generation and agreed that this was an area that should be closely monitored by Scrutiny and the Board.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1. Approve the Asset Management Plan 2016-2020 attached at Appendix 1 for adoption by the Council.

The Director of Regeneration and Housinghas submitted a report which presents the Asset Management Plan 2015-2020 for approval prior to public consultation.

Recommendation: That the City Executive Board resolves to:

1.    approve the Asset Management Plan 2016-2020 for consultation.

The Director of Regeneration and Housingsubmitted a report which presented the Asset Management Plan 2015-2020 for approval prior to public consultation.

Cllr Turner, Board Member Finance, Corporate Asset Management and Public Health presented the report.  He referred the Board to the list of changes from previous versions of the plan as set out at paragraph 7 of the report and commented on the clearer links to the corporate priorities.

In response to the Scrutiny Committee recommendations he said that all four were broadly accepted subject to some textual amendments as set out in the published response.  In closing he thanked the Senior Asset Manager and the Corporate Asset Manager and other officers for their work.  In discussion the Board noted that this was the first Asset Management Plan for a number of years which recommended investing in additional property assets.

The City Executive Board resolved to:

1.    Approve the Asset Management Plan 2016-2020 for consultation as amended in the responses to the recommendations from the Scrutiny Committee.

Contact Officer: Mike W Scott, Senior Asset Manager

Tel 01865 252138, mwscott@oxford.gov.uk

The Senior Asset Manager presented the draft Asset Management Plan prior to submission to the City Executive Board. He explained that there was a separate Housing Revenue Account asset management plan. The Council tried to maximise returns on its portfolio and was currently achieving an 8% return.

The Committee noted:

·         Social returns had to be weighed up against reduced income.  The document acknowledged social value but there was a need to quantify that value.  The Committee suggest that the Social Value Act provides a useful framework and that the Council could use this to take a more structured approach to evaluation.

·         Green leases could be used to incentivise tenants to reduce their energy or water usage.  The Plan would commit the Council to investigating and reviewing their potential for new lettings but it would be more difficult to implement them in a legacy portfolio.  Current lettings were governed by the Landlord and Tenant Act and many tenants tended to be averse to green lease arrangements. 

·         The Committee questioned what scope the Council had to minimise empty commercial units by encouraging their temporary use, for example as pop-up shops, to ensure that these areas remain vibrant and attractive to shoppers.  The Committee heard that the Council’s commercial holdings in the city centre were small and on long leases, so the Council had little direct control.  The Committee suggest that the Council should aim to engage with the wider market and seek to influence landlords

·         The Plan built on the previous plan, which articulated a review of the Council’s agricultural land and holdings.  These tended to be relatively small sites with long term lease arrangements in place and the income received from these was low.  Some sites had potential for future development but other sites had less future value to the Council, as well as potential liabilities. 

The Committee commended the policy of seeking strong returns from its portfolio and resolved that the following recommendations be put to the City Executive Board:

1.    the City Council should take a structured approach to evaluating social value throughout the Plan using the Social Value Act 2012, which provides a framework for quantifying social value.

2.    the City Council should, as a matter of course, consider the case for negotiating ‘green lease’ arrangements when existing leases are due for renewal;

3.    when agricultural leases are due for renewal, the Council should explore all options including revenue opportunities, for example managing the land to generate forestry revenue;

4.    add action under the Commercial Property heading (section 5.1.1 on p. 16 of the Plan) to aim to engage with the wider market and ask the landlords of vacant commercial properties to make temporary use of these premises, for example as pop-up shops.

Contact Officer: Martin Shaw, Property Services Manager

Tel 01865 252775, mshaw2@oxford.gov.uk

The Head of Housing and Property introduced the housing asset management strategy and said that it is already running in many respects.

The Panel asked a number of questions including about; housing need in the city, the impacts of government policy, taking a co-ordinated approach with peers, speeding up void times, the stock condition survey, renewable energy on Council properties and the consultation response rate. 

A member noted that there are numerous unused garages in Blackbird Leys.  These could be knocked down and the sites developed as affordable housing or off street car parking for residents.  The Panel heard that this is within the concept of making better use of the City Council’s assets and that a review of these assets is needed as part of the Estate Improvement Plans (section 5.2).  It has been several years since such a review took place and a member noted that at the time, several sites were treated as a virtual site.  The Panel suggest that the City Council goes back through this cycle again and that the Strategy makes specific mention of garages.

The Panel agreed to:

-       Support the Housing Asset Management Strategy

-       Recommend that making better use of garage assets should be explicitly included in the strategy

-       To pre-scrutinise the upcoming Energy Strategy

-       To seek further information about tenant involvement