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Property chiefs have pledged to get better value out of East Renfrewshire's 130 council buildings. They say that the properties which include schools, offices, halls and libraries, can be used more efficiently and with lower energy costs. Currently the council spends £8m annually on maintenance, heating and lighting. Rising costs make it essential to squeeze maximum use out of every building. But 25 per cent of buildings are life-expired and inefficient and property chiefs say that they'll have to be rationalised and replaced where necessary with modern and energy-efficient buildings. Council leader Councillor Jim Fletcher said: "Where we have new buildings such as Williamwood High School which is used all day and evening with 60 per cent use being by the school and 40 per cent by the community, and with modern and efficient energy systems, we can see exactly where we should be in all properties. The challenge is to look closely at the actual needs of the council and the communities we serve to determine where we need our buildings, how we can put them to maximum use and work out how we can pay for new ones. "Many of the properties we inherited at the start of the council 12 years ago were old and lacked maintenance when we acquired them and are now even older. Some are in the wrong place for present service needs and many are totally energy inefficient. This pledge is the start of a process of addressing these issues. www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk |
