FOI Request - Real Estate and Accommodation for Elected Members

Request 101003831462

I am requesting the following information regarding the use of physical space and associated costs in supporting elected councillors.
This request follows a previous FOI exercise which highlighted a widespread lack of cost visibility over accommodation used by councillors. It is made in the public interest to assess the extent to which councils allocate, operate, and fund property assets solely or primarily for use by small groups of elected members.

1. Dedicated Spaces for Elected Members

Please provide a list of any buildings, rooms, offices, chambers, or other spaces that are either:
• Reserved exclusively for elected member use, or
• Primarily used by elected members, political groups, or related support staff.

For each such space, please include:
• Building name and full address
• Name or designation of the space (e.g. Council Chamber, Members Lounge, Group Office, Civic Suite)
• Total floor area in square metres (or estimated if exact is not held)
• The number of individual rooms or subdivided areas
• The primary purpose of the space (e.g. debating chamber, committee room, shared office, political group room, secretary/PA use, informal meeting room, etc.)

2. Financial Valuation or Internal Costing

Please provide the most recent estimate — internal or external — of the financial value or cost associated with operating these elected member spaces, including where available:
• Estimated rental or internal charging value per annum
• Rates, service charges, utilities, cleaning, and facilities management costs
• Any allocated departmental budget or recharge relating to these facilities

If exact figures are not held, please provide estimates or internal planning values used by Estates or Facilities teams.

3. Capital Expenditure

Please provide a list of any capital projects since April 2015 involving refurbishment, redevelopment, extension or new build works for councillor accommodation or chambers, including:
• Description of project
• Total cost
• Year of completion
• Name of principal contractor (if applicable)
• Purpose (e.g. “modernisation of council chamber”, “installation of hybrid meeting facilities”, “relocation of members’ offices”)

4. Occupancy and Usage

Where available, please provide any data or records held on the frequency or usage levels of councillor-designated spaces. For example:
• Number of meeting days held in chambers or committee rooms
• Average weekly or annual usage
• Hours of occupancy logged (if managed via a booking or access system)

5. Alternative Uses

For any councillor-dedicated spaces:
• Are these areas ever used for other internal or external purposes (e.g. public meetings, staff use, community hire)?
• If yes, please provide the log of alternative usage for the most recent financial year:
o Date of use
o Type of use / purpose
o Group or individual using the space
o Whether the use was charged or free of cost

If no log is held, please confirm.

Public Interest Context

At a time of frontline service reductions, rising council tax, and pressure on shared public assets, there is significant public interest in understanding how scarce and often high-value property assets are being allocated. Many Scottish local authorities continue to operate large or exclusive civic chambers, dedicated councillor suites, and purpose-built meeting spaces — some in city centre locations or historic buildings with substantial operating costs.

This request seeks to understand the scale, value, and utilisation of such assets, particularly where space is not shared with other service users or the wider public. The intention is to ensure transparency, value-for-money, and democratic accountability in line with best practice in public finance.

Additional Notes

• If any of the above information is not held in exact form, please provide best estimates, internal assessments, or planning assumptions.
• If redactions are required for security or privacy reasons, these are understood — but should not be used to withhold entire responses where partial release is possible.
 

Response 26-08-2025

1. 

7 x offices for Group/Independent Cllrs - solely used by Councillors
1 x Members Lounge - solely used by Councillors
1 x office for Members Support and Committee staff

Council Chambers – not exclusively used by Elected Members and can be split into three separate meeting rooms for staff to use as meeting spaces
Committee Room – not exclusively used by just Elected Members is available for staff to use as a meeting space

All located in Council Offices, High Street, Elgin, IV30 1BX

The floor area of the individual rooms used exclusively by members added together is circa.175 sqm. This does not include any shared use spaces like toilets, kitchens, meeting rooms and the chamber.

2. Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) is applicable, as the Council do not hold any information within Property that would indicate costs of use of the space. We do not have any rental figures or internal recharging information.

3. There has been no works carried out in the Chambers to refurbish, redevelop or extend since 2015

In order to be helpful we can confirm:
Work was carried out in the Committee Room in 2023/24 to upgrade the facilities to allow it to be used as a hybrid meeting space.  The cost was circa £22,200 which included decoration, electrical upgrades, furniture and ICT works.

4. Section 17 of FOISA is applicable as we do not record when Councillor offices or the lounge are used. Nonetheless, the number of meetings held in the Chambers can be found online - https://moray.cmis.uk.com/moray/CouncilandGovernance/Meetings.aspx - which lists the Committee dates.

5. No log is held.