CONCERNS have been raised over budgets and capacity in maintaining council properties in Merthyr Tydfil.
A report for the council’s corporate support and resources scrutiny committee on Tuesday, October 15 said the key main issues include insufficient capacity to manage property maintenance effectively, together with the allocation of insufficient maintenance budgets to deal with backlog maintenance.
It stressed the lack of maintenance budgets which have not increased with inflation experienced since Covid and Brexit and a lack of capacity within the property services team.
This has resulted in the inability to consider centralising maintenance budgets and a significant increase in the floor area of property within condition rating C and D.
The report said that while progress is being made in addressing full statutory compliance overall, investment is required on an asbestos management software system, adding that an upgraded asset management software system has recently been brought in which includes an asbestos management module.
The report said: “Investment in addressing the backlog maintenance needs prioritisation corporately to reverse the decline in building condition.
“To achieve this, the maintenance/compliance team need to be adequately resourced to support building managers with planned maintenance programmes and completion of maintenance work highlighted in condition surveys.”
Some of the activity around council assets in 2023/2024, the last financial year, included:
- Capital Receipts completed – worth £869,000
- Rental income of circa £1.6m
- 38 community asset transfer leases managed
- Successful rating appeals worth £835,000
- The value of acquisitions completed worth £278,500
- Backlog maintenance of £42.77m (£44.42m at October 24)
Capital projects spend worth £138.29m included Pen y Dre refurbishment (£46m), the New Blessed Carlo Acutis 3-16 Catholic School (£60m), the new Goetre Primary School (£25m) and the extension to the pupil referral unit at Ty Dysgu (£1.4m).
It also included refurbishment at Treharris Library (£750,000), a new learning resource base and extension at Ysgol Rhyd y Grug (£2.6m), Afon Taf youth centre (£1.1m), accessibility works (£300,000), the ICC roof (£280,000), Rechibite Hall demolition and bat house (£500,000) and Ysgol y Graig demolition (£360,000).
