Agenda item

Report of the Director of the Built Environment.

The Committee received a report of the Director of the Built Environment updating Members on the workings of the District Surveyor’s office which reports to it for the purposes of building control, engineering services for the City’s major infrastructure and to provide resilience to buildings and businesses within the square mile that may be affected by environmental hazards.

The District Surveyor & Environmental Resilience Director reported that financial statements for the year were due to be issued shortly and would show an increase in income for the year which was to be applauded in a very competitive market in which many were still choosing to use the District Surveyor’s Office for works in the City.

He highlighted that, whilst 2016 had seen a pause in construction in the City, numbers had risen consistently since this time. He assured Members that the Building Control Team was currently fully staffed.

Members were informed that, following the Grenfell tragedy, much work had been done and would continue to be done around Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

A Member questioned the introduction, for the first time this year, of a Building Control Apprentice. The District Surveyor & Environmental Resilience Director reported that Local Authority Building Control (LABC) had set up a new Building Control degree qualification and that the City Corporation had secured a slot on the course. At least 3 A-Levels were required of applicants who were also required to sit a University entrance interview.

A Member questioned whether those who chose not to use the District Surveyor’s Officer did so because other private firms sought to undercut them. She also questioned how often, in these cases, the District Surveyor’s Office were called upon to later unravel any difficulties.

The same Member also referred to the ongoing training and development being offered to staff and commended the division on this.

A Member questioned whether data on market share, the costs of running the service and fee income was available. The District Surveyor & Environmental Resilience Director reported that the cost of running the service would be published within the trading statement which he was happy to share with the Member. He clarified that the building regulation side of the work had to be cost neutral over  3-5 year period and was regularly monitored by the Chamberlain to ensure that this was the case.

A Member questioned whether feedback was sought in cases where the division bid for work unsuccessfully and whether such feedback revealed that this was attributable to fees only and, if so, what could be done about this in terms of overheads and the like. The District Surveyor & Environmental Resilience Director reported that fees were predominantly not an issue and that those choosing not to use the services of the District Surveyor tended to be outlets such as Costa Coffee or Starbucks who tended to work with one contractor nationally.

RESOLVED – That, Members note the report as information.