City Council to let ground floor of HQ
Derby City Council says it will let out the ground floor of its city centre Council House headquarters to a “partner organisation”.
The cash generated from the deal will fund the £2.5m worth of alterations needed to make the Council less reliant on Government grants over the next four years, it says.
The Council says that part of its HQ is available to be used in this way because of its more efficient ways of working.
A statement on its website said: “When the refurbished Council House re-opened four years ago, the plan was to accommodate 2100 staff there, on a ratio of 7 desks for every 10 people.
“In fact, we have relocated even more staff from other offices, reducing our property costs in the process. This is why the number of people working at the Council House has increased, despite the loss of more than 1,000 posts since 2010 due to budget cuts.”
Nearly 3000 staff are now based at the Council House on a desk ratio of 5 desks to 10 people and in some cases on a 4:10 ratio. These desk ratios are “some of the best in the country,” says Derby City Council.
The statement added: “Having a partner organisation in the same building will further improve the service to our customers. Work needs to start now to meet the timescales set by our potential new tenant. To do this we need to employ contractors to redesign and make the necessary alterations.
“It is possible that a different part of the ground floor could house a new library. But that is dependent upon the outcome of public consultation into the idea of closing the Central Library and creating a new one inside the Council House.”
The Council Cabinet will make a decision on that next Spring, with any associated building work not starting until after then.
