Councillors at the Asset and Procurement Committee meeting on Tuesday 15 October will make a decision on proposals to close five offices, invest in remaining accommodation to bring services closer to communities, continue to lower the council's carbon footprint to meet its net-zero 2030 goal, and deliver around £2m in annual savings.
The plans would generate capital savings of nearly £11m over the next two years, with much of that reinvested work to improve the retained estate, including our community facilities.
The proposals are to close offices at Buttsgrove in Huntingdon, Speke House in St Ives, Hereward Hall in March, Noble House in Ely and Stanton House in Huntingdon. Buttsgrove is currently not occupied.
These closures are the first phase in the council’s Accommodation Improvement Programme which has looked at under-utilised council offices throughout the county where the average occupancy is less than 25% across the working week.
These plans have been developed following extensive engagement with services to understand their accommodation needs. Affected colleagues will be moved to new locations that will meet both service and specific locality-based needs.
Councillor Ros Hathorn, Chair of Asset and Procurement Committee said: “We are looking to deliver our services that are closer to communities, encouraging our teams to work more closely together as part of our vision to deliver a greener, fairer and more caring Cambridgeshire.
“By consolidating office space, the accommodation programme will also help the council to meet its net-zero goal for Cambridgeshire by 2045, with our own estate by 2030.
“Making the best use of our buildings, delivering greater integration of our teams and ensuring value for money is something that we must deliver as a council to ensure we can continue to fund our ambitions.”
