Remote [Building] Control

EXCLUSIVE by EWAN LAMB

More than 80 applications for building control warrants lodged by developers with Scottish Borders Council were processed by local government officers based 170 miles away in Lochgilphead, Argyll & Bute.

The "somewhat unusual" arrangement which covered a three month period from October 2018 through to January 2019 was reached in a bid by SBC to overcome a staffing shortage in its Building Control section. 

As a result, the Borders local authority paid Angus & Bute Council more than £28,000 to handle 82 warrants - equivalent to £341 per individual case.

In a Freedom of Information response earlier this year, SBC revealed it had made two payments to Argyll & Bute of £17,080 and £11,253 on January 4th 2019 and March 1st 2019 respectively, but did not specify why the money had changed hands.

Subsequently, Argyll & Bute Council, in response to a FOI submitted to them, confirmed the two payments were for ‘Processing of Building Warrants’.

SBC was then invited to supply details concerning the payments in a follow-up FOI request. That request asked: 1- Please supply details of any other payments made by Scottish Borders Council to Argyll & Bute Council for the processing of building warrants. 2 – When did the arrangement with Argyll & Bute for this service begin and how long is it expected to last? 

3 – How many building warrants have officers from Argyll & Bute processed for SBC so far? 4 – Why was it necessary to outsource building warrant work in the first place, and why was Argyll & Bute Council selected when its HQ is 170 miles from St Boswells – an excessive distance for site visits with considerable travel costs?

Scottish Borders Council answered each question in turn, as follows:

1 – None other than listed previously.

2 –The first Building Warrant file was sent to Argyll and Bute Council on 25.10.2018. The last file was sent on 10.01.2019 and as such, effectively the service ended on the 10th January this year. 

Two files do however await conclusion and will remain with Argyll and Bute until they are either resolved or refused. Unresolved Building Warrant applications remain open for a nine month period following issue of the first technical report.

3 – 82.

4 – At the time of engaging Argyll and Bute Council, SBC had gone through an extensive period of staff loss and recruitment. This had culminated and resulted in Building Warrant application turnaround times that did not serve our customers well and were failing national targets.

Using another local authority to undertake warrant processing resolved the issue until such time as the service was back up to a full complement of staff.

Argyll and Bute Council were selected as they were an experienced local authority who could provide the service required. Using a local authority also meant the assessments were still independently carried out.

The location of the provider chosen has no bearing on time or cost. It was only the warrant assessment process being contracted out.

No site visits were necessary and post approval site inspections on these files are still undertaken by Scottish Borders Council. File transfer was all carried out electronically through the Scottish Government national portal.

A council insider commented: "This somewhat unusual temporary arrangement came at a time when building warrant applications were taking an age to process with a risk that developments could be seriously delayed.

"Perhaps this type of inter-council co-operation is something which could be looked at again in future although perhaps any link could be with a local authority a bit nearer to hand than Argyll & Bute".