Introduction to Asset Management

It’s an incredibly exciting time to consider Leeds as your next career step. Few cities can offer the same breadth and diversity of asset management work which helps shape the future of the City. The city has built momentum over the last decade with substantial levels of development and investment laying the foundations for our ambitions to double the size of the city centre, plan and deliver major new transport infrastructure in our Connecting Leeds proposals and to capitalise on growth opportunities around major transport hubs such as the HS2 driven transformation of Leeds Station.

There is strong and clear political leadership in Leeds City Council that is fully focused on realising the further potential for the city to grow in an inclusive way, meeting the challenges of the climate change emergency and leading wider partnership work across the Leeds City Region and Northern Powerhouse. Our plans for wider economic development, driving forward the economic growth of the city are substantially underpinned by the property transactions that the Council undertakes.

These are pinnacle to the delivery of economic growth and over recent years the Council has supported the development of Victoria Gate and Trinity shopping centres in Leeds through the use of the Compulsory Purchase Powers to assemble land for development, the delivery of housing through the sale of Council sites and assembly of land to facilitate the delivery of the East Leeds Orbital Route which is a 6.5km dual carriageway around the east side of Leeds, unlocking land for up to 5,000 new houses. In addition we have marketed key commercial development sites such as Sovereign Square, which now accommodates offices for KPMG and Addleshaws solicitors ( this office building is now owned by the Council), the sale of land at Quarry Hill for a mixed use development and the former International Pool site at Lisbon Street.

The Council has recently acquired a number of properties to establish a prime portfolio of investment properties which support our revenue budgets and are planning further develop and growth of our let out estate to support the economic growth of the city. The Council also has a large agricultural estate providing opportunities to support priorities around carbon capture, carbon reduction and future strategic development. In addition the Council has transacted on a number of property transactions to support Channel 4’s relocation to Leeds, worked with Yorkshire County Cricket Club and Leeds Rhinos to improve the sports facilities at these clubs and we are working with Leeds United Football Club to enhance and develop their stadium and surrounding land following their return to the Premier League.

In Asset Management we are recruiting to posts in both our Land and Property team and our Strategic Asset Management team. In Land and Property, we have a major role to play to facilitate the transformation of the city, working with partners to create the right conditions for further growth whilst leveraging our statutory role and real estate to support effective and efficient service delivery. Our team of 30 chartered surveyors and technicians undertake the vast majority of the property work for the Council working with multi-disciplinary professional colleagues across the Asset Management and Regeneration Service, Legal, Financial, Housing, Planning, Highways and Economic Service teams within the Council.

Our service plan covers four main portfolios – Major Regeneration Projects including land assembly, joint ventures and facilitating development, Capital Receipts through the sale of surplus assets, Investment Portfolio covering a wide range of properties including our prime investment portfolio, Statutory Work and Valuation covering asset valuations, feasibility and viability appraisals, acquisitions, rating, right to buy valuations and dealing with the statutory utilities to provide the necessary infrastructure to support economic growth of the City.

The team has a track record of working collaboratively with partners and across all sectors, successfully supporting and directly delivering a diverse range of initiatives, including major city centre retail and leisure schemes, housing programmes, neighbourhood regeneration, economic development, heritage led development and inward investment.

In Strategic Asset Management, we are responsible for occupation of our corporate portfolio. Using the guiding principles as set out in our Estate Management Strategy (2021-2025) our aim is to have an estate which is fit for purpose and modern, well managed and maintained, which maximises income from the portfolio. Over the past 10-15 years we have embarked on a journey to reduce our estate and as we continue our Locality Service Transformation programme we need to unsure we have an estate which is efficient and meets the needs of service delivery across the Council and our partners. The team of 15 manage a number of strategic programmes including Estate Rationalisation, Strategic Land Development, Community Asset Transfers, Assets of Community Value, Demolitions and Land Records.

We’re based in a high quality recently refurbished offices delivered through one of our joint ventures with the private sector and which provides an environment with sweeping 10th floor views across the city centre and offers IT-supported flexible working. We also support staff to work from home for a large proportion of their working week which allows greater flexibility and balance between work and home life. We are forward looking, commercially minded and politically aware and we are looking for experienced, curious problem solvers with the agility, aptitude, technical know-how and enthusiasm with a good track record in property negotiations and asset management that will help us in continuing to drive the Council’s role at the heart of the city’s ‘good growth’.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Mark Mills