During times of severe cutbacks, it is common to step back and look at our assets to make sure we are getting the best out of them. Dumfries and Galloway Council are no different. At the meeting of the Council’s Policy and Resources Committee (25 February) Members will hear a report reviewing the Council’s assets, namely the buildings owned and used by the Council.
The Council already recognises that to be a modern and efficient council it needs to think differently and therefore, work smarter. In order to tackle cutbacks and meet efficiency savings this means streamlining services and reducing premises.
This initial report on the future of Council buildings focusses primarily on Dumfries with further reports to follow on other areas around the region.
Buildings have been assessed on an individual basis, taking into account a number of criteria, including accessibility to services; accessibility for employees; improved integration and collaborative working.
A number of proposals will be presented to Councillors on the future use of council buildings in Dumfries. The options take into consideration whether buildings can be repurposed (which is difficult for listed and historical buildings), selling some of our assets or looking at ‘smarter working’ and creatively thinking how our buildings could be used to make them more effectively used.
The Council is required to deliver savings of £335,000 per annum by 2017/18. However, the report states that, providing the right buildings are retained within the Council’s portfolio and with the correct long-term investment to ensure their sustainability and suitability, a total of £495,000 per annum could actually be achieved.
Council Leader Ronnie Nicholson said, “I am determined to ensure we have the most efficient council possible. That means making best use of our assets, including fewer, better buildings. We have already reduced significantly the number of properties the council has across the region. This has not only cut our daily running costs but has brought income into the council through the sale of surplus properties. We can go even further, starting with our review of properties in Dumfries. We recognise however that we have to balance the need to cut the number of buildings with not leaving lots of empty, boarded up properties with the town centre. We therefore need to pick the properties that are surplus to our needs but are also likely to be sold”.
One area being considered as part of the review, is the current site of Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries. With council staff set to move out of Woodbank on the Edinburgh Road and a consultation taken place on the relocation of Langlands School, this would leave Gracefield Arts centre as the only building on what is a large site. The report to Councillors suggests that Gracefield could be re-located, with one site muted as being the Municipal Chambers in Dumfries.”
Chair of the Economy, Environment and Infrastructure committee, Colin Smyth, said “I recently said that we needed to ‘show a bit more imagination and accept that whilst retail will always be crucial in the High Street, we also have to find other ways to bring more people into the town centre, such as our visitor attractions. That’s why the council invested in recent developments such as the Theatre Royal and Moat Brae and the Dock Park. Re-locating Gracefield to a new location nearer to the town centre could benefit visitors significantly. The current Municipal Chambers has been suggested as a possible art gallery, but a full options appraisal of possible locations will have to be carried out before any decision is made to re-location Gracefield.”
