Councillors are to consider the future development of Edinburgh's Shared Repairs Service this week.

A number of changes to the service, which replaced the former Property Conservation service in April this year, will be presented in a report to be discussed at a meeting on 24 October.

The introduction of an emergency call-out charge, facilitation service and a trusted trader scheme would provide welcome assistance to homeowners, a statement from the Council read.

Further proposals relate to the re-introduction of an enforcement service, while three potential delivery models – which would require a varying degree of council commitment from in-house to fully out-sourced – have been suggested for future development. Assuming it receives support from the Councillors, they will be subject to a follow-up report in December.


Finance Convener, Councillor Alasdair Rankin, said: "The issues facing the former Property Conservation service are well documented and we continue to make good progress towards closing these off.

"The replacement service has been successful but remains limited in scope.

"Moving forward, there is a balance to be struck between providing a broader service, for which there is clear public demand, and ensuring that we learn from previous mistakes.

"We have a responsibility to protect Edinburgh's quite unique built environment and the reintroduction of an enforcement service could go some way to achieving this."

Deputy Convener, Councillor Bill Cook, added: "Any new service would have to be meticulously planned, organised and governed. It would subject to clear and robust scrutiny by councillors and to the right level of independent oversight and audit."

(JP/CD)