Argyll and Bute Council’s ‘One Council’ approach to property management has raised over £3million in its first 11 months of operation.
With over 1700 buildings and parcels of land, the council transformed its approach to estate management to help meet the challenge of on-going cuts in funding.
All council property now comes under one team, tasked with delivering a proactive, commercially astute management service.
A report considered at the meeting of Council today (18 April) set out key progress achieved to date, including:
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Sale of property across Argyll and Bute, for example the sale of land at Tighnabruaich to Fyne Homes to build 15 new homes
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New property options made available for local businesses, for example through leasing of desk spaces in council-owned offices
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New uses created for property; Tighnabruaich Pier is now licensed as a wedding venue
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Reduction in property costs to the council, for example by relocating more staff teams into council-owned offices
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Reduction in consultancy fees by developing the council’s in-house estate agency and valuations service
The report also sets out plans in place for developing this approach, including:
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Progressing additional, under-offer property sales of £2 million
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Matching council estate use to market demand in tourism, business and other sectors
Councillor Rory Colville, Policy Lead for Corporate Services, said: “I welcome the progress being made by the ‘One Council’ approach. These are extremely difficult times for councils.
“We must transform how we work to deal with significant cuts in funding. Raising income and developing uses for our estate ultimately will benefit our communities by helping the council protect services and local jobs. ‘One Council’ is transformation in action.”