Issue - meetings

This report provides an update on the current financial year’s approved 2023-24 planned maintenance programme and requests approval for the planned maintenance programme for the next financial year 2024-25.

Following consideration, the Committee unanimously resolved:

(1)       To note the progress and anticipated spend at the end of the current year 2023-24 as shown in Appendix 1 to the report.

(2)       To note the additional emergency works raised and carried out in the 2023-24 planned maintenance programme.

(3)       To approve the 2024/25 planned maintenance programme at an estimated cost of £562,000 as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, to be funded from planned maintenance budgets and the Property Maintenance Reserve.

(4)       Subject to the Council’s financial and contract requirements, to nominate and authorise the Head of Property and Regeneration to make changes within the 2024-25 planned maintenance programme to cover unforeseen matters (such as tender price variances) of up to, but not exceeding £20,000.

(5)       To agree to transfer the unspent budgets back to the Property Maintenance Reserve at the end of the financial year.

The Committee received a report providing an update on the current financial year’s approved 2023-24 planned maintenance programme and requesting approval for the planned maintenance programme for the next financial year 2024-25.

The following matters were considered:

a)             Value for money. In response to a question from a member regarding the cost of works to the Council’s venues, the Head of Property and Regeneration informed the Committee that the cost of the works detailed in the report included the provision of scaffolding and specialist equipment required due to the architecture of the Town Hall and Bourne Hall.

b)             Playhouse automatic doors. In response to a question from a member regarding works to the Playhouse automatic doors, the Head of Property and Regeneration informed the Committee that this project would not be taken forward as it had been identified that it would have an adverse impact on the space available within the foyer of the venue. The Committee was informed that this did not preclude a project for other works to improve the thermal efficiency of the doors from being made in the future via a separate capital funding bid.

c)             Identification and prioritisation of works. In response to a question from a member regarding the mechanism for identification and prioritisation of works, the Head of Property and Regeneration informed the Committee that identification of necessary works came from 3 primary sources: the Council’s Facilities Maintenance contractor, the in-house building surveying team and the 10 year forecast for property maintenance. The identified works were prioritised on their urgency.

d)             Maintenance of water courses. In response to a question from a member, the Head of Property and Regeneration informed the Committee that the Council maintained watercourses such as drainage channels on council owned land. The council was not responsible for maintenance of streams and rivers, which fell to other national and regional bodies.

Following consideration the Committee unanimously resolved:

(1)       To note the progress and anticipated spend at the end of the current year 2023-24 as shown in Appendix 1 to the report.

(2)       To note the additional emergency works raised and carried out in the 2023-24 planned maintenance programme.

(3)       To approve the 2024/25 planned maintenance programme at an estimated cost of £562,000 as set out in Appendix 2 to the report, to be funded from planned maintenance budgets and the Property Maintenance Reserve.

(4)       Subject to the Council’s financial and contract requirements, to nominate and authorise the Head of Property and Regeneration to make changes within the 2024-25 planned maintenance programme to cover unforeseen matters (such as tender price variances) of up to, but not exceeding £20,000.

(5)       To agree to transfer the unspent budgets back to the Property Maintenance Reserve at the end of the financial year.