Strategic Property Review

Please find below a range of frequently asked questions (FAQs) relating to employees working within Falkirk Council venues that are directly affected by the Strategic Property Review (SPR).

FAQs will continue to be updated with new queries throughout the process, although if you have any questions that you're not able to find an answer for, please speak with your line manager in the first instance or email:

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I am a member of staff based in a SPR building, what is the impact on me?

The impact is likely to be different for different buildings. If they haven't done so already, your manager will update you shortly on what has been agreed regarding the building you work in. They will also outline next steps and associated timescales.

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What options are available to staff based in SPR buildings?

Your manager will brief you on options which may be available based on the building you are based in.

Where a building is to close this year and you are at risk of redundancy, our aim is to try to achieve the necessary reduction through voluntary means where possible.

Options include:

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What engagement will be undertaken with staff in properties affected by the SPR?

You will have been given an initial briefing on what is happening with your building and what this means for you.

Trade union consultation on the potential impact on employees started on 14 February 2024 and will run for 30 days. You will be invited to an individual consultation meeting during this period at which you will be able to discuss your thoughts on potential alternatives to redundancy. We will continue to engage with you following this meeting to explore options to avoid redundancy.

These FAQs will be kept updated and we will write to employees individually and collectively as required. You can continue to ask your manager any questions you may have, and you can email us. You can also seek support from your trade union at any time.

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Are Trade Unions involved in the Strategic Property Review?

Trade Unions are currently actively involved and will continue to be consulted throughout this process. Employees should seek support from their Trade Union as required.

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The building I work in has been classified by a condition survey as being in Category D. What does this mean?

Condition D is defined as "Life expired and/or serious risk of imminent failure; risk of injury" - there is no risk to life.

Given the property has been identified as condition D which means it's in bad condition, there is an increased risk of injury in comparison to other properties. Immediate risk management mitigations have and will be put in place. Employees are not being asked to work in a building where there is risk to life and if there were to be a situation where there was a risk of injury, the building would be assessed and would close as an operational decision.

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I work in a building that is now due to close and I have a temporary contract. Will this be extended?

Existing temporary contracts will not be extended unless there is a continuing requirement. Your line manager will be able to provide you with further information on this.

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I understand that there may be the chance of the building I am working in being the subject of Community Asset Transfer. What would this mean for me?

A Community Asset Transfer involves the transfer of responsibility of a building or piece of land from the Council to a community-based organisation. This means if a community organisation thinks it can make better use of a property owned by Falkirk Council, it can make a request to either buy, lease or manage the property.

If a Community Asset Transfer is being considered for the building you are employed in, your manager will advise you that this is the case. They will also ensure that you are advised how this may impact on you and what options may be available to you. These could include, for example, having the chance to be considered for redeployment to an alternative post in the Council or transferring to the employment of the group taking over the building under TUPE regulations.

TUPE stands for the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) regulations and its purpose is to protect employees if the business in which they are employed changes hands. Its effect is to move employees and any responsibilities associated with them from the old employer to the new employer by operation of law.

Any potential such situation would involve full consultation with you and trade unions.

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What do I say to customers who have concerns as a result of a building's closure?

Information/briefing notes will be provided to staff.

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Who should we contact if we have questions?

Please speak with your Line Manager in the first instance. Any queries regarding the Strategic Property Review can also be emailed to:

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What are the timescales for requesting possible voluntary severance or redeployment?

Where your building is due to close, we will advise you of timescales for making requests for possible severance policy or redeployment in correspondence with you and at your consultation meeting.

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Do staff have to transfer with the building if an organisation agrees to take it over?

If the work is continuing to be undertaken by a different organisation, it is likely that TUPE would apply. Any such situation would involve full consultation with trade unions and employees.

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If employees do take redundancy, would that affect their right to work for the Council again in the future?

If you are made redundant on compulsory grounds from the Council, you could apply for future posts with the Council. If you took voluntary severance, in line with the Severance Policy you could not apply for another post in the Council.

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If employees pursue redeployment and at the end of the 12 weeks, they don't have anything, how long would it take for the Council to process a redundancy payment?

This would depend on how the employee enters redeployment and what the situation was at the time.

If an employee was given written notification of redundancy at the end of the consultation period, they would be able to look for redeployment until the end of their notice period. If no post was identified that was considered as a suitable alternative employment by the termination date, then the employee would be expected to receive a redundancy payment.

If a post is identified as a suitable alternative employment but the employee chose not to take the post, then a redundancy payment may not be applicable. This is a complex issue and any employee who may be in this position would be clearly advised when redeployment was discussed with them.

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What would happen if a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) application period was extended by Council agreement?

We will keep employees updated on the CAT process and what this may mean for them as discussions with other organisations develop. Properties with an Expression of Interest for a Community Asset Transfer have until 01 October 2024 to submit a full application for Phase 2 properties and 01 October 2025 for Phase 3 properties.

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Will staff see a business plan from a different organisation keen to take over a Council building to give them an understanding of what it might mean for them?

We are committed to consulting trade unions and employees in line with employment legislation. In consultation with trade union colleagues and advisers on the CAT process, we would determine what information would be helpful to share, and which we are able to share as part of this process.

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What happens when a building goes into the mothballing phase or decommission for closure?

If a facility were to close, employees would support the decommissioning process. We don't have full details yet of how long would be needed for this for each building, but we would ensure that we keep employees and trade unions fully up to date on developments and would set out timescales for whichever process is to be implemented when we can.

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Would any holidays I have booked be honoured if I was to move to another department? Would I still be entitled to length of service holidays?

If you have holidays already booked, in the same way as someone applying for a new job, it would be expected that these would be honoured, but you should discuss this with the recruiting manager when you speak to them about the post. Your annual leave is based on your continuous local authority service. Your service would be unchanged if you are redeployed to a different post within the Council.

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I've seen a couple of jobs on my job Scotland that are external for Falkirk Council, do I have to apply for them via redeployment or do I go via my job Scotland?

You would need to apply for posts through MyJobScotland. This would be the same for any Falkirk Council jobs advertised. Further information can be found in How to do a redeployment search.

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What are the aspirations for leisure services going forward?

The Council has created a Policy Development Panel which will focus on developing the strategy for Sport and Leisure services that will involve both the workforce and local communities. The panel consists of elected members supported by relevant officers and will work in partnership with the service and users to inform decisions.

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The formal consultation period ended on 15 March 2024. What happens now?

Even though the formal consultation period has ended, we are continuing to discuss options to achieve the necessary changes to the required staffing resource through voluntary means with trade unions and employees.

Next steps will depend on which options you have expressed an interest in (eg voluntary redundancy/ redeployment) and what is happening with the building you work in. Your manager will keep you updated on this. Please speak to them if you have any queries or concerns. You can also email us at sprstaff@falkirk.gov.uk.