The Economy and Place Service

Economy and Environment is one of four Corporate Directorates within Torfaen County Borough Council.

The four Directorates, each led by a Strategic Director, are:

• Children and Families
• Adults and Communities
• Economy and Environment
• Resources

Economy and Environment (E&E) is a diverse Directorate, with approx. 385 staff (FTE) and a budget of £22.8m net (gross operating budget £46m). The main areas of responsibility are:

• Highways and Transportation
• Waste and Recycling
• Climate Change
• Public Protection
• Street Scene and Environment
• Property and Assets
• Economic Development
• Regeneration
• Planning

Within E&E, the Economy and Place Service is responsible for:

• Asset Management
• Facilities Management
• Property Management (Maintenance, Repair, Improvement)
• Property Construction (Capital Projects)
• Strategic Economic Development and External Funding
• Foundational Economy, Regeneration and Strategic Programmes
• Planning Service - Development Management
• Planning Service - Policy and Implementation

The first four functions in the list above will sit directly within the remit of the Head of Property. The operating revenue budget across the functions is currently £3.747m including staff, vehicles and delivery costs, operating costs for corporate and ancillary buildings within the industrial portfolio and the corporate maintenance budget (c£800k).

The Council owns and manages an asset portfolio of circa 300 commercial buildings together with a range of corporate/civic sites located around the County Borough. Corporate facilities include the Council’s main Civic Centre headquarters in Pontypool and operational Depot facilities for the Waste, Steet Scene and Transport services at New Inn. We currently operate a hybrid Corporate Landlord model and are in the process of refreshing The Council’s Asset Management Strategy which will be going to Cabinet in April 2025 for approval. The annual income generated by the commercial estate is circa £1.8 million.

The Asset Management team has a key role in contributing towards the Council’s strategic objectives by:

• Managing, reviewing and rationalising corporate office accommodation and operational property portfolio
• Managing the commercial property portfolio
• Undertaking the disposal of surplus property
• Providing advice and support to other Service areas on matters with a real estate dimension
• Undertaking asset valuations in relation to the final accounts of the Council

The team’s work includes:

• Asset management strategy formulation and implementation
• Custody of property ownership and leasing records
• Property disposals and acquisitions
• Management of the Council’s commercial estate
• Annual asset valuations for financial reporting
• Other valuations for various purposes
• Corporate accommodation utilisation (eg Civic Centre)
• Property advice to Council Departments
• Supporting corporate projects with a property dimension
• Commissioning external surveying advice
• Letting of grazing land
• General estate management (encroachment, easements, licences etc)

Our Facilities Management team provides day to day FM services within the Council’s main corporate buildings, mainly the Civic Centre and the New Inn Depot. FM staff also manage some of the town centre car parks within Pontypool.

The Property Management team’s main areas of responsibility include the maintenance, repair and improvement of the commercial and corporate estate, with an annual programme of core funding from the Council’s capital budget plus grant funding secured from third party sources, such as Welsh Government’s Capital Repairs and Maintenance Grant for schools.

The team deliver professional property management services on behalf of the Council to ensure the effective maintenance and repair of the Council’s Schools and non-Schools Estate. This includes:

• Undertaking annual condition surveys of the condition of the Council’s property portfolio to establish maintenance needs and backlog liabilities
• Surveying buildings, retaining walls, culverts (non-highways), electrical systems upgrades, cenotaphs etc
• Carrying out statutory and good practice tasks, such as electrical inspections, lift maintenance, gas servicing, PAT testing for Council owned and managed buildings, including management of Legionella Risk Assessments, Fire Risk Assessments and Asbestos
• Fault reporting via the Property Help Desk, providing a 24/7 emergency out of hours call out service
• Preparing planning applications, estimates and feasibility studies for alterations and/or refurbishment projects and managing them from inception to completion.

Projects are either undertaken by the small in-house direct works team or delivered via external framework arrangements, depending upon the nature and scale of work.

Our Property Construction (Capital Projects) team provides a professional design consultancy service to support the effective delivery of the Authority’s Capital Building Programme and, most recently, the 21st Century Schools Programme. Construction schemes include both new build and refurbishment works, ranging in value from £100k to £35m+.

The team’s work includes:

• Providing feasibility/option appraisal studies for differing construction projects
• Advising on procurement methodologies for differing types of construction projects
• Providing technical liaison with Client Departments and funding bodies
• Providing project and programme management services for differing types of construction projects
• Providing cost management services for differing types of construction projects
• Providing tender/contract preparation for differing types of construction projects
• Procuring and establishing consultant design teams

Over the past 8 years the Property Construction (Capital Projects) team has delivered projects in excess of £130m total value. The Council’s five year Capital Programme from 2024/25 related to Education and Assets is £35m.