as I am unclear how any organisations could run their second most expensive asset, after staff, without this, and dare I say even more, information.
The first 2 for me are 2 sides of the same coin. In my view the asset function is the vital, beating heart of a public body. But by being seen as property managers solely rather than transformational change managers this does not always happen. Some of it is about language and communication but partly it is down to lack of knowledge of the size of the resource you manage. This work will help to change that alongside further work ACES, RICS and others are doing on communication and influencing skills.
Why Collect?
I am sure that for ACES members I do not have to rehearse this data is important argument again but for completeness I will highlight some of the key benefits I see.
Transparency Some organisations have found that by putting this information out there they receive fewer FOIs and queries, thus freeing up staff time. Equally residents should know what is owned and how much of their council tax goes on buildings rather than their services.
Accountability How do your buildings compare to other similar authorities? The benchmarking potential of this could help to drive the sector forward even faster.
Changing the debate With some of the Pathfinders it was not until the public estate was mapped out that senior leaders started to understand the potential. For example in Wigan it was realised that the public sector as a whole owned 35% of the town centre and so could shape their regeneration master planning without Government funds and all the templates that comes with it!
Actions
Now to the point of this article. I have been slightly short in my comments but I am keen that you all put down the Summer Terrier for 5 minutes [I
THE TERRIER - Summer 2012
sincerely hope not – Editor], Google the consultation and then take part in the debate.
Make sure you come back to read up further articles and use this as an opportunity to create a debate about your role within the council. Get the council leadership board to discuss as part of the debate the paper you have ready on saving money on heating/ green technology that you have never quite managed to get on the agenda. Start the debate about how you and your team can help them redesign services so that the council can protect frontline services.
So you may be reading this and wondering what are the attributes, what are the descriptors describing these attributes. I have not included them here, as I want you to contribute to the debate and read the annex to the consultation, where you will find full details.
However I will tell you about a few that are missing. I have struggled to find a good indicator for customers beyond number of visits by member of the public etc. I think that it is important to cement the link between buildings and service delivery. I would welcome your thoughts on this in the consultation.
Similarly on restrictions on buildings; some people thought that it should be noted if buildings are listed as of historic interest or have onerous covenants. But there was no consensus on whether these should be attributes or one that authorities publish beyond the list. It is important
to note this list is only a minimum requirement not a comprehensive list.
So, no more encouragement but do take this opportunity to make these attributes even better. But I finish with a plea. Do not just try and say no and criticise the list and forget about it. It is likely that some kind of list will be published; the voluntary code had assets in there. Together let us instead make the list as strong as possible
What are you waiting for?
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