Agenda item

Called in by Councillors:

Cllr Wendy Randall (originator)

Cllr Janice Duffy

Cllr Jamal Alwahabi

Cllr Keith Holland-Delamere

Cllr Catherine Russell

Cllr Danielle Stone

Cllr Kyriakoulla Jolley

Cllr Muna Cali

In accordance with 10.5.5 of the Council’s Constitution.

Cabinet – 11 October 2022 – Agenda Item 13: Office Optimisation Stage 1 building adaptations and disposals

Decision:

a)  Agree to the proposed new capital budget of £2 million to carry out Stage 1 of the Office Optimisation project and recommend to Council that the Capital budget is amended to reflect the proposed change.

b)  Authorise the Assistant Director Assets & Environment to procure and award the contracts to deliver the Stage 1 works.

c)  Authorise the Assistant Director Assets & Environment in consultation with the Executive Director Finance and Cabinet Member for Finance to dispose of the Lodge Road offices, in whole or part, by leasehold or freehold, for the best consideration reasonably obtainable.

d)  Agree that the Lodge Road offices be vacated by 31st March 2023 in order that the revenue savings and/or capital gains be achieved as quickly as practicable thereafter. 

Reasons for Call-in

·      That the financial implications and data associated with this decision requires further examination by Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

·      There was a failure to adequately consider alternative options with this decision.

·      There was failure to consider the impact this decision would have on the voluntary organisations currently based in the Abbey Centre and in turn the ramifications that would have on the local community.

On these grounds, this Cabinet decision contravenes clauses:

(a) “take into account all relevant considerations and ignore those which are irrelevant”

(d) “due consultation and proper advice is taken and consideration of alternative options before decisions are reached”

(n) “following best practice, securing best value and making the most efficient and effective use of resources”

Under section 1.22 “Principles of Decision Making” in the West Northamptonshire Council Constitution.

It is requested that this matter placed on the agenda for the next regular meeting of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration and review.

The alternative course of action requested of Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and in turn Cabinet, to take into consideration is keeping the Lodge Road offices open for staff that require desks and renting out any vacant space.

The Chair introduced the Call-In request and explained that, on the advice of the Monitoring Officer, the Call-In request had been through the appropriate channels and was deemed to be valid. The Chair then explained the procedure for the Call-In and invited the Call-In originator, Councillor Wendy Randall, to address the Committee and outline the reasons for the Call-In.

In outlining the reasons for the Call-In, Councillor Randall explained that the decision of Cabinet to proceed with Stage 1 of the Council’s office optimisation and building adaptation proposals, which included the closure of the Lodge Road Offices in Daventry and the establishment of a smaller office base in The Abbey Centre, had been taken without the appropriate consultation with staff having taken place, inadequate consideration of alternative options, inadequate consideration of the impact the decision could have on voluntary organisations based in The Abbey Centre, and also a lack of consideration to the CCTV system operated by Daventry Town Council, the cabling for which was linked to the Lodge Road building.

Councillor Randall questioned why no business plan or forward plan had ever been produced and shared with all Councillors prior to the taking of this decision and explained that it was of vital importance that Councillors be fully consulted not only on this decision, and all decisions of such magnitude in the future.

In outlining the possible impact of the Cabinet decision on staff based at Lodge Road, Councillor Randall expressed disappointment with the fact that the announcement of this decision was shared with all staff via email with no prior warning for the affected staff, though noted the Chief Executive’s explanation that this had to be done quickly and decisively to quash inaccurate rumours. As part of the Call-In, Councillor Randall  also requested further information on the effect of this decision on office-based staff at Lodge Road, who it was claimed were now facing additional costs associated with more regular home working or travelling to the Council’s other office buildings in Northampton and Towcester.

Members of the Committee had no questions of the Call-In originator.

In response to the Call-In, the Executive Director – Place and Economy sought to explain the rationale behind the office optimisation project, which was to ensure that the Council’s core buildings were used in the most efficient and effective way, taking account of changes to working practices and building requirements following the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular the introduction of worker types for all staff across the organisation. 

The work behind the office optimisation project had reviewed the Council’s core buildings for the best use and space, monitored the occupancy levels of the buildings, sought to understand the future space and storage requirements of all services, and considered the current costs, age, flexibility, usage, and local context of all core buildings.

The Executive Director – Place and Economy explained that the project would facilitate the creation of local hubs, which would be based out of The Abbey Centre in Daventry, The Forum in Towcester, and The Guildhall in Northampton, along with the Council’s main office locations at One Angel Square and The Guildhall in Northampton, with a main office base for the Council’s Planning service to be created at The Forum in Towcester.

In response to questions from the Committee regarding the cost and savings associated with the closure of Lodge Road, the Executive Director – Place and Economy addressed the issue raised in the Call-In regarding staff consultation and transparency and explained that the proposed operating model was not shared with staff or unions due to the necessity to move forward with the first stage of the project in order to realise the savings arising from the closure as soon as possible.

The Executive Director – Place and Economy explained that, after taking into consideration a programme of refurbishments of approximately £1m being required to The Abbey Centre in order to create the Council’s new Daventry hub, the overall position of vacating and selling the Lodge Road Building would deliver a saving of approximately £343,379.

In summarising the Call-In, Councillor Randall reiterated the view that the decision of Cabinet to proceed with Stage 1 of the office optimisation project had been rushed, had not been subjected to the appropriate consultation with affected staff and unions, had not been subjected to the appropriate prior scrutiny, had not considered the possible impact on Daventry Town Council’s CCTV system, left unanswered questions with regards to staff wellbeing and individual circumstances and did not appropriately consider the impact on service provision with fewer desks being available for staff at the proposed Abbey Centre hub.   

Findings and Conclusions

During the deliberation session, the Committee concluded that there was a need for the decision to be referred back to Cabinet as there had been a lack of consultation and communication regarding the closure of the offices at Lodge Road, a lack of consideration of the impact on the town’s CCTV system linked to the Lodge Road site and adopted by Daventry Town Council, lack of consideration of service provision and concerns over the layout of desk space at the Abbey Centre. The Committee also agreed that there was a need for Councillors to have sight and review of the desk plan for the Abbey Centre.

After all of the evidence had been heard, it was proposed by Councillor Danielle Stone and seconded by Councillor Andrew Grant that the call-in be upheld and the decision be referred back to Cabinet for further consideration. The motion was put to the vote with nine votes cast in favour of the proposal and two votes cast against, therefore the motion was carried.

Resolved

(1)  That the call-in be upheld and the decision referred back to Cabinet on the grounds that:

(i)   There is a need for wider consultation and communication regarding the closure of the offices at Lodge Road, to ensure that the people of Daventry do not lose out democratically or in service provision.

(ii)  There is a need for consideration on the impact on the Town’s CCTV system linked to Lodge Road and adopted by Daventry Town Council.

(2)  That Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee request that all Councillors are provided with desk plans for the proposed hub at The Abbey Centre as soon as such plans are available.