Agenda item

To receive an update on recent developments relating to the Council’s Accommodation Strategy.

Cllr Charles Adje, Cabinet Member for Finance and Strategic Regeneration and Christine Addison, Interim Assistant Director for Capital Projects and Property, introduced the report on the accommodation strategy.

A report on the corporate buildings in Wood Green had been considered and agreed by the Cabinet in September 2020, followed by the approval of a report in December 2020 about the future use of the Civic Centre. The Cabinet had then approved an update to the Asset Management Plan in February 2021 to include the strategic thinking from those two reports.

The priorities for the next 12 months which were:

• moving forward with the Civic Centre project and deciding how and when the car park element could be developed;
• reviewing the use of George Meehan House to ensure that its use is optimised and works well with the refurbished and expanded Civic Centre spaces;
• reviewing and outlining best steps for other Council buildings in Wood Green.

Cllr Adje and Christine Addison then responded to questions from the Panel:

• Cllr Hare asked about the impact of the Covid pandemic on the strategic approach to Alexandra House. Cllr Adje said that the use of a number of premises, including Alexandra House, were currently subject to review and while the impact of the pandemic would clearly be an important factor, it was not yet possible to say what the future premises use would be. An update report was expected to be provided to the Cabinet before the end of the year.
• The report noted that the consolidation of Council accommodation to a smaller number of buildings over a 5-7 year period. In response to a comment from Cllr Hare that the process appeared to be quite slow, Cllr Adje said that, while he shared the concern, the buildings were still occupied and that it would take some considerable time to relocate people.
• Cllr Brabazon said that the investment in the Civic Centre would result in a surplus of office accommodation. She also noted that Alexandra House, which she said had been bought at a high price, and River Park House were currently mainly empty because of staff working from home. She questioned the thinking behind this process and asked for more information about the review including the terms of reference. Cllr Adje said that everything was set out in Asset Management Plan which had recently been updated and approved by the Cabinet. He added that there were a number of reviews being carried out by officers who would be assisted by external partners if required.
• Cllr Diakides questioned the use of external consultants to support the process. Cllr Adje said that he was not aware of external consultants being used at the present time but that external partners would be engaged if required. 
• Cllr Diakides asked about the impact of the uncertainty about the use of Council buildings that would result from this process, with particular reference to the future of the Library. Cllr Adje said that the Library project was being paused and the concentration would be on the Civic Centre. However, it would be necessary to maintain the Library to make sure that it was fit for purpose to provide a service to the public.
• Cllr Gordon asked how much the Council had been paid for Alexandra House and how much would need to be spent on repairs. She also noted that the business case for the purchase was for additional office accommodation which appeared now not to be needed. Cllr Adje said that he did not believe that it was a mistake to purchase Alexandra House, which had been acquired for £15.5m through a collective decision. He said that it was not unusual for organisations to spend money on necessary changes and repairs to buildings that they acquire. He did not have specific figures available about this, but there was a maintenance budget for the corporate estate as a whole. Christine Addison said that further details on this could be provided to the Panel in writing. (ACTION)
• In response to questions suggesting that the overall cost of acquiring Alexandra House may have exceeded £15.5m due to issues associated with a company being set up, Cllr Adje said that this figure was provided in Part 1 of the report on this matter and that he could not disclose information included in Part 2 of the report which was exempt. Cllr Brabazon said that the company in question was referred to in the Council’s accounts which was in the public domain.
• In response to a question from Cllr Brabazon about the status of other buildings including Cumberland Road and 48 Station Road, Cllr Adje confirmed that all of the Council-owned properties in the area would be included in the review process.
• In response to a question from Cllr Brabazon about whether rent was received by the Council for Greenside House, Christine Addison said that this she thought it likely to only be ground rent but would confirm the full details in writing. (ACTION) 

Cllr Brabazon proposed that the review process for this issue be monitored further by the Panel, possibly through a future progress report to include further details including the terms of reference and timetable. (ACTION)