Redesign Board makes recommendation for future of janitorial and catering services
19th October 2016
The Redesign Board of The Highland Council will recommend keeping Catering, Cleaning and Facilities Management/Janitorial Services (CCFM) in house within the Council.
Options for the future management of Catering, Cleaning and Facilities Management/Janitorial Services (CCFM) were considered by the Redesign Board today. The Board examined two proposed options, together with the potential savings, key benefits and risks associated with each model.
One option is for High Life Highland (HLH), the Council's arms length organisation, to manage all or part of the services.
The alternative option, which was supported by the vast majority of the Redesign Board, is to continue to manage these services in-house under a new Property Management Service within the Council. The Redesign Board will recommend this option to the full Highland council for approval and implementation.
The options appraisal demonstrates that all the options deliver some improvement over the current service and that there are advantages and disadvantages of each.
The Business Case for redesign of the £20 million service was developed under the supervision of a Project Board which included CCFM Managers, HLH, staff-side representatives, and noted the input provided by Head Teacher and Parent Council representatives.
The strategic objective of the project is to achieve effective use of total resources by delivering a local, coordinated and integrated service.
Chair of the Redesign Board, Cllr Isobel McCallum said: "This was a very well supported decision and I am very pleased for staff who will be anxious to know what is happening. There was good discussion and we recognise some of the issues which will need to be addressed. If approved by Council, this will bring about redesign within council services to drive improvements and efficiencies and the need to explore commercial opportunities."
Vice Chair, Cllr Bill Lobban added: "This is a tremendous opportunity for the Council to develop services for the future. This option provides a better and more efficient way of delivering these services, whilst maintaining more flexibility for redesign."
John Gibson (Unison) Staff-side representative on the Redesign Board welcomed the decision: "People who work for Highland Council have chosen to work for the council and to live and work in their communities. The best people to give advice on how to improve services and make them more efficient are the people who deliver them.
“We are delighted that the Highland Council Redesign Board have shown confidence in their greatest asset which is their staff."
The full business case and options can be found at http://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/3762/re-design_of_the_highland_council_board
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Yesterday
Council welcomes Visitor Levy flexibility plan
The Highland Council welcomes moves by the Scottish Government to introduce greater flexibility on how it could design a Visitor Levy Scheme for consultation. The Visitor Levy (Scotland) Act 2024 currently provides local authorities with discretionary powers to implement percentage-based levies following statutory consultation.Yesterday
Highland Council is reaching out for views to shape its next 26/27 budget.
As it looks to set out its forthcoming priorities, the council is seeking involvement from members of the public, including businesses, community groups, parents, and young people. All their opinions are going to be crucial in deciding how Highland Council will take on its budget challenge for 2026-2027.Yesterday
Have your say in Thurso's future £100million investment by attending public consultation events
Thurso is to benefit from £100m investment in education and community facilities and are rolling out the first phase of public consultations on 9 and 10 December 2025. The Highland Council is inviting people that live, work, or study in Thurso, to come along to the public consultation events to have their say; this is an opportunity to help shape the future of Thurso, to gather views and ideas.2/12/2025
Finding new owners for empty homes - Scheme launched to help return more empty homes to active use
A new online portal has been launched to bring empty homeowners together with prospective buyers or developers with the aim of facilitating more properties to be used as homes again. Covering the whole of Scotland, this builds on the success of local pilots, referred to as "matchmaker schemes".1/12/2025
Consideration for short term let control area in Skye and Raasay
Steps towards introducing a short term let control area have been considered by Highland Council's Isle of Skye and Raasay area committee. On Monday (1 December 2025) the committee heard evidence to justify the grounds for the introduction of a Short Term Let Control Area covering all or part of Skye and Raasay.28/11/2025
Workforce North event spotlights Highland economy
EMPLOYERS and educators from across the Highlands have gathered to hear how a new initiative is aiming to transform the region's economy. Workforce North - A Call to Action brought together business leaders and teachers from primary and secondary schools from across the Highland Council area with a wide range of partners geared towards education, learning and skills development at Strathpeffer Pavillion.
27/11/2025
Council calls for meaningful engagement from Home Office Over 300 Asylum Seekers Being Sent to Inverness
The Highland Council continues to call for meaningful engagement from the Home Office over its plans to temporarily accommodate up to 300 adult male asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks, Inverness. It follows an email on Monday from Alex Norris MP, Minister for Border Security and Asylum, to Council Leader, Raymond Bremner, which failed to answer questions raised by the Council or address community concerns.27/11/2025
SSEN Transmission becomes first signatory to Highland Social Value Charter
SSEN Transmission has become the first company to sign up to the Highland Social Value Charter (HSVC), marking a significant milestone in delivering long-term socio-economic benefits for communities across the Highlands. Investment commitments from the company include funding for roads, new homes, jobs, and work for local contractors in addition to a local and regional fund for communities to apply to.25/11/2025
Wick - Aberdeen PSO - Update issued 24/11/2025
The Highland Council continues to work through the procurement process for the provision of the Wick Public Service Obligation for the Highland Council. We have now entered the preferred bidder stage and have entered a standstill period.25/11/2025
Highland Council winter road condition and school closure report for 25 November 2025
Maps of the Council's gritting routes by priority and policy are available online at www.highland.gov.uk/gritting (external link) The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Our Social Media
