Council Land and Property

Asset Management & Property Services

Background

As a unitary authority the Herefordshire Council has an interest in hundreds of properties and thousands of pieces of land.

The council owns or leases properties principally either to provide services or to obtain a financial return.

The Council's Property Estate

The council has an extensive and diverse property estate; spread throughout the entire county of Herefordshire. A wide variety of service functions are supported including schools, libraries, homes for older people, car parks, public conveniences, household waste disposal, youth centres, tourist information centres, offices and highways depots.

The Council owns four industrial estates with units that are let to tenants, and has a significant farm estate with over seventy smallholdings tenants. It also manages, on behalf of Trustees, the Buchanan Trust Estate, just outside Bosbury.

A wide variety of different types of buildings are owned or leased by the council. These include sites and buildings of significant architectural or historic merit and several of the buildings used are listed.

The total insurance value of the entire estate is close to £500m at replacement value, and there are over two hundred and fifty principal operational properties.

Asset Management & Property Services

Asset Management & Property Services is a division within the Resources directorate and are responsible for all aspects of property management of the council's property portfolio.

Herefordshire Council believes that the primary strategic roles of property assets held by the council are:

• To facilitate the provision and improvement of services provided by the council and other partner organisations as a contribution towards achieving the vision of the Herefordshire Plan and Corporate Plan.
  
• To generate an acceptable financial return for the authority, in terms of revenue income, cost reductions or improving efficiency.
  
• To assist community development and demonstrate good environmental management.

Asset Management & Property Services division is structured into five distinct areas of activity.

These activities are carried out by fifty professional, technical and administrative staff.

Asset Management & Property Services are based at:

PO Box 4
Plough Lane
Hereford
HR4 0XH
Maintenance Section

The Maintenance Section manages the maintenance of the council's corporate property portfolio. 

Capital Section

The Capital Section manages major building projects and deals with all forms of procurement. 

Estates Section

The Estates Section manages valuations, acquisitions and disposals.

Facilities Management

Based at Blueschool House, Facilities Management are responsible for the building cleaning, grounds maintenance and catering contracts at 102 school throughout Herefordshire and the building cleaning at all County buildings including libraries, administration buildings, Info centres, etc. We are responsible for the window-cleaning contract.

Strategic Asset Management

Strategic Asset Management manages corporate land and property information and is responsible for Herefordshire Council's Asset Management Plan.

Strategic use of the Council's assets, excluding schools and housing is summarised in the Asset Management Plan

Strategic Asset Management including:

• Developing and reviewing corporate and directorate asset management plans 
• Corporate lead on capital strategy
• Land terrier services 
• Property review 
• Property information 
• Feasibility services