BCP Council & Dorset Council

Overview

On 1 April 2019, Dorset County Council was replaced by two new unitary authorities: Dorset Council and BCP Council. These councils inherited over 4,000 property interests from nine former District and Borough Councils. Members needed clarity about their new property holdings and senior leadership wanted to ensure that their new portfolios would meet the Councils’ new strategic priorities.

Laura led the whole portfolio reviews and created Estate Frameworks for both authorities in 2020 and 2021. The Estate Frameworks provided high-level, ‘outline plans’ designed to challenge and guide future property-related decision-making and ensure that every property asset had a clear future purpose.

Whilst the primary purpose of the reviews was to improve each Councils’ understanding of their new property portfolios, Laura’s work raised some important areas of opportunity and challenge that have led to further detailed investigations and actions by both Councils, including disposals and asset re-alignments.

Laura adopted a needs-led approach, working closely with the reorganised councils to understand their future corporate, service delivery, and economic priorities. This required wide-ranging stakeholder engagement with council leaders, service heads, and public sector partners. Key to the reviews was the creation of a Comprehensive Asset Register (CAR), enabling detailed analysis of each council’s property portfolios and informing strategic decisions.

Laura’s work has assisted both councils in determining the need for public estate and the importance of their being a clear purpose for assets. The Estate Framework outputs continue to guide both council’s property related decisions, providing a foundation for strategic asset management.