Effectiveness of property asset management in Scottish councils

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of operational property asset management in Scottish Councils and the extent to which this achieves best value. Appropriate criteria for evaluating asset management effectiveness include the effective use of capital resources, efficient and effective use of property assets, and improved service delivery. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a survey investigating 32 Scottish councils. A questionnaire survey and interview of a select number of key stakeholders were carried out. Findings – The research findings suggest that councils have been less successful in efficiently and effectively using property assets to reduce operating and maintenance costs. They have equally been unsuccessful in bringing about increased staff efficiency. Furthermore, there is a problem of improving service delivery, as councils have been less successful in introducing cross‐service working and co‐location as well as ensuring that properties are easily accessible users. However, councils have been very successful in making effective use of capital receipts to support capital projects. Research limitations/implications – Unlike other parts of the UK, asset management in Scottish councils has only recently been introduced. This might account for the dearth of similar research on asset management in Scottish councils, making it difficult to compare findings. Originality/value – As no similar study has been carried out on asset management in Scottish councils, the findings of this research contribute to literature on asset management and best value, thus highlighting the Scottish perspective.