Issue - meetings

As detailed in the recommendation.

The Chief Officer (Organisational Change) introduced the Capital Strategy and Asset Management Plan 2016-2020, which was a new Strategy for Flintshire County Council combining medium term plans for managing the Council’s assets and its Capital Programme.

            There was a need for a comprehensive and structured strategy which merged together capital resource planning and development, with asset management planning.  Even more so in the current period of austerity where prudent use of capital resources in programmes of work could be used for strategic investment projects contributing positively to reduce the revenue budget gap that the Council faced.

            The key aims of the strategy were outlined fully in the report including the strategy’s principles.  Also provided was a summary of what was included in the Capital Strategy and Asset Management Plan.  Plans for other assets included within the strategy had been drawn from the Improvement Plan, Portfolio Business Plans and other strategies. 

            Future capital programmes would be set on a four year rolling basis reflecting the fact that schemes spanned more than one year and did not necessarily correspond financial year boundaries.  Schemes starting in year one would be approved along with costs and funding in the subsequent years.  Schemes starting in years two onwards would be given indicative approval to enable services to plan more efficiently, but would ultimately be approved in the subsequent year’s Capital Programme.

            Headroom would be built into the Capital Programme to enable it to be more flexible so as to be able to allocate funding to small schemes as they presented in year either as a result of opportunities or unforeseen circumstances. 

            The timetable for creating and approving the Capital Programme was outlined in the report.

            Councillor Kevin Jones asked for information on what was the intention for phases 3 and 4 of County Hall.  Colin Everett explained that both phases were being moved to phases 1 and 2 to make best use of accommodation and reduce running costs; a decision had not yet been taken on phases 3 and 4. 

RESOLVED:

That the Capital Strategy and Asset Management Plan 2016-2020 be approved so that it can be adopted as the principal document for managing the Council’s Capital Property and Land resource assets.