Decision details

The Head of Development and Resources introduced a report to inform Members of the expenditure on school building repairs and maintenance.  He commented on the significant decrease in ‘backlog maintenance’ in schools from previous years as a result of ongoing capital investment in the education portfolio.

Members raised concerns regarding how frequently Condition surveys were undertaken on schools and the lapse of time since a survey had been conducted on some schools.  In his response the Head of Service explained that  condition surveys were undertaken on a five year cycle and surveys had been carried out on every school building via the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).  Surveys were usually updated at the rate of 20% per annum (budget dependant) and on a rolling programme to meet Welsh Government requirements.  Repair and maintenance works were prioritised according to agreed schedules and grading.

Mrs. R. Stark referred to the information distributed during the meeting concerning Consortium of Local Authorities Wales (CLAW) performance indicators for corporate property maintenance and asked if a breakdown could be provided in future in relation to individual schools.

Members referred to the condition of school toilets.  The Head of Service advised that school toilets were dealt with as a separate matter and addressed according to priority.   The Director of Lifelong Learning agreed to provide Members with a copy of the toilet condition surveys and also referred to the bog-standard website which promoted better toilet facilities for pupils.

Mr. D. Hytch welcomed the reduction in the backlog for school repairs and maintenance but expressed concern that this could also be as a result of the annual reduction of the budget.  The Head of Service advised that the repairs and maintenance budget was a significant part of the overall Lifelong Learning budget which had been reduced by 10% per annum in line with the need to reduce the overall budget of the Council.

Councillor M. Bateman raised the subject of S106 agreements and asked what happened to any funding received as a result.  The Head of Service explained that S106 contributions were only made by developers in those instances where there was an increase in capacity or a school was likely to be oversubscribed as a result of a new development.  S106 funding was not provided for the repair and maintenance of school buildings. 

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report be noted;

(b)       That a breakdown be provided in relation to individual schools from the Consortium of Local Authorities Wales (CLAW) performance indicators for corporate property maintenance; and

(c)        That the Director of Lifelong Learning agreed to provide Members with a copy of the toilet condition surveys