Chichester District Council
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East Pallant House Options Appraisal

Meeting: 06/02/2018 - Cabinet (Item 478)

478 East Pallant House Options Appraisal pdf icon PDF 66 KB

The Cabinet is requested to consider the agenda reportand its Part II restricted* appendix, which is for the information of members and relevant officers only (printed on salmon paper), and to make the following resolution:

 

(1)  That Chichester District Council continues to use East Pallant House as the primary office accommodation for the organisation.

 

(2)  That officers continue to identify opportunities to provide office accommodation for partners, voluntary sector or commercial organisations as those opportunities arise to ensure office space is fully utilised and operating costs are kept to a minimum.

 

[*Note Paragraph 3 (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)) of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972]

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

RESOLVED

 

(1)  That Chichester District Council continues to use East Pallant House as the primary office accommodation for the organisation.

 

(2)  That officers continue to identify opportunities to provide office accommodation for partners, voluntary sector or commercial organisations as those opportunities arise to ensure office space is fully utilised and operating costs are kept to a minimum, while being mindful of staff welfare in any re-planning.

Minutes:

[Note The audio recording for this meeting reveals that for officer availability reasons this item was in fact taken after agenda item 10 but it appears in these minutes (as well as in the audio recording) in accordance with the published order of business in the agenda]

 

The Cabinet received and considered the agenda report and its Part II confidential exempt appendix.   

 

This item was introduced by Mr Wilding.  

 

Mr Mildred was in attendance for this matter.

 

Mr Wilding summarised the previously approved initial project proposal document (IPPD) for the East Pallant House (EPH) Options Appraisal of CDC’s future office accommodation needs and potential alternative uses for EPH (excluding both the East Pallant car parks and the leased north wing). Of the three options considered, 1 and 2 involved remaining in EPH (respectively no change and seeking more efficient use by an incremental reduction in the footprint through more flexible working and shared use). Option 3 (complete vacation and relocation) was the subject of a consultant’s report but since this would leave CDC in a worse financial position it was not being recommended. At its meeting on 16 January 2018 the Overview and Scrutiny Committee supported Option 2, which was now proposed to the Cabinet, namely for CDC to retain EPH and for officers to continue to identify opportunities to provide office accommodation for partners, voluntary sector or commercial organisations as they arose. This would ensure that office space was fully and efficiently utilised and operating costs kept to a minimum. Mr Wilding concluded by saying that it was important to be mindful of staff welfare in any re-planning.

 

In view of Mr Wilding’s final remark about staff welfare, Mr Dignum said that with the support of the Cabinet the resolution responding to recommendation 3.2 would include the addition of the following words at the end of the sentence after the word ‘minimum’: ‘while being mindful of staff welfare in any re-planning’.

 

Mr Mildred said that he noted, understood and respected the point made about taking into account staff welfare. The new ways of working (NWOW) project would continue but in an evolutionary and not a revolutionary manner, with the potential for third parties to occupy parts of EPH being examined on a case by case basis. He pointed out that the current office moves within EPH were as a result of the management restructuring which would come into effect on 1 April 2018 and not part of NWOW. He said that members would be issued in due course with an EPH map showing the reconfigured locations.

 

Mrs Lintill and Mrs Kilby spoke in support of option 2, mentioning the evident advantages for staff and the public of CDC having a central city location.         

 

Decision

 

The Cabinet voted unanimously on a show of hands to make the resolutions, with the aforementioned amendment, which are set out below. 

 

RESOLVED

 

(1)  That Chichester District Council continues to use East Pallant House as the primary office accommodation for the organisation.

 

(2)  That  ...  view the full minutes text for item 478


Meeting: 16/01/2018 - Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Item 202)

East Pallant House Options (EPH) Appraisal

This report provides the outcome of an options appraisal for potential future use and occupancy of East Pallant House and recommends that the Council continues to occupy EPH but seeks to reduce operational costs by leasing identified offices and areas on a commercial basis.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee considered the report attached to the agenda. Mrs J Dodsworth, Head of Business Improvement Services and Joe Mildred, Corporate Improvement Manager, presented the report.

 

Mr Ransley and Mr Lloyd-Williams were concerned at the limited level of information the committee had been presented with in order to make a meaningful contribution to this options appraisal and at the narrow scope of this review.

 

Members were advised of further detail in the analysis of the four options presented in the report. There was support for the use of the committee rooms by the courts which would be beneficial for local residents.

 

Mr Mildred advised that a full business case for option 2 would be considered before it was progressed and he confirmed to members that if this was unviable it would not be pursued.

 

On the recommendations being put to the vote – for recommendation one (eight members were in support and two members abstained from the vote) and for recommendation two (four members were in support, three members were against and three members abstained from the vote).

 

RECOMMENDED TO CABINET

 

1)      That Option 2 be approved.

2)      That capital costs associated with the refurbishment of office space for commercial let be funded from identified spend in the asset replacement programme.

 


 

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