Agenda item

This report sets out progress made in relation to the decision to relocate to the Council’s new offices, located in St Catherine’s Road, Grantham and to recommend entering into a contract for the delivery of associated works, using approved funds.

Purpose of report

To set out progress made in relation to the decision to relocate to the Council’s new offices, located in St Catherine’s Road, Grantham and to recommend entering into a contract for the delivery of associated works, using approved funds.

Decision

That Cabinet:

1.    Delegates authority for the Director of Housing and Property, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property to enter into a contract with Lindum Construction Group for the required works to the new office space up to a value not exceeding £250k.

2.    Delegates authority for the S151 Officer, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, to allocate the remaining approved funding in respect of further minor works, ICT and furniture in order to ensure a smooth relocation.

Alternative options considered and rejected

To proceed with the relocation without remodelling the office space. This would not have provided the Council with facilities that met its aspirations in terms of decent, modern facilities that provide the environment to affect the cultural change that the Council aspires to.

Not proceeding with the work would cause delays to the progression of the relocation and would result in the Council continuing to incur the operational costs of the underutilised offices at a time of rising utility charges.

Reasons for decision

The award of the refurbishment contract would enable the Council to complete the move from the offices at St. Peter’s Hill, enabling staff to be brought together in a modern space, providing benefits in terms of environmental standards, technology and breaking down ‘silo working culture’.

The move would see the Council occupying less than one third of the space that it currently occupied in the outdated St. Peter’s Hill offices.

Vacation of the current St. Peter’s Hill office space would allow the Council to offer full vacant possession to a new owner, allow for the repurposing or redevelopment of the building to enhance the town centre and deliver ongoing savings when comparing the running costs of St. Peter’s Hill offices and the new St. Catherine’s Road offices.

The following points were raised during discussion:

·         Entering into the contract for essential works reflected the business need of the Council. The existing space was old-fashioned and did not support collaborative working. In preparation for the move to the new office, hotdesking and flexible working had been gradually phased in.

·         The amount of office space was being reduced, and this was aided by introducing mobile technology in an organisational-wide programme, breaking down the old-fashioned silo of working every day from the office.

·         There had been opportunities for staff to view the new office space, through advertised, dedicated open days, and also through charity ‘coffee and cake’ mornings.

·         Conversations with Lincolnshire County Council over the creation of the public sector hub were continuing productively.

·         The new working space would create a positive working environment for staff, and there would be no disruption for residents. The site was complete with excellent accessibility.

·         With the increase in fuel prices, it made sense to move into a more fuel-efficient building. The building had many benefits from a climate change perspective; it was built to a modern standard and would have a positive impact on SKDC’s carbon footprint compared to the current offices at St. Peter’s Hill.

·         The University of Lincoln no longer required the space at St. Catherine’s Road. The Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) were aware of the current plans for the building, and any conversations with them would be reported back to Council, if necessary.