Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

1.    That the principle of moving the council closer to the residents of Surrey, and leaving the County Hall complex (in Kingston) by the end of 2020 be approved.

2.    That the principles and criteria on which the location for the new Civic Heart will be chosen be agreed.

3.    That the analysis provided for selecting a location for the new Civic Heart of the council in accordance with the selection principles and request that further work be done to provide due diligence for the leading location options – Guildford and Woking be approved.

4.    That the principle of reviewing council staff work bases, and relocating our people to other premises within the council’s estate, in order to better meet service needs and work closer with our partners be agreed.

5.    That the responsible officer be authorised to appoint advisors to work with the council to explore and appraise the options for the County Hall complex to maximise the potential receipt or benefit to the council, and for this analysis to be presented back to Cabinet in July 2019 be agreed.

6.    That a detailed programme proposal report, for decision, would be received at July 2019 Cabinet be agreed.

Reason for Decision:

The Community Vision for Surrey in 2030 and the council’s own Organisation Strategy envisage a quite different and much improved relationship and connectivity between the council and Surrey residents, and a new way of working for the council. A foundational step in furtherance of both is to locate the headquarters of the council in Surrey itself. The move (comprising the establishment of a ‘Civic Heart’ where many of the functions of a County Hall will be located, a wider workforce increasingly enabled to work in a more agile way and the introduction of new ways of working across multiple work locations) will secure benefits to residents and the council.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Corporate Overview Select Committee]

The Leader of the Council introduced a report that set out how as part of the council’s ongoing transformation programme, the opportunity was being taken to move those staff located at County Hall, Kingston, closer to residents and partners.  The council would establish a new ‘Civic Heart’ within the county, with quality collaborative spaces where elected members, the Corporate Leadership Team and their respective strategic support teams could work and conduct council business. Presently, a number of options were being explored at Guildford and Woking.  Confirmation for the site of the new Civic Heart was hoped to be reported to the July meeting of Cabinet.  The Leader went on to explain the potential savings and the work being undertaken with the Royal Borough of Kingston to find a suitable use for County Hall.

The Deputy Leader further explained that staff from County Hall would be located across Surrey and not all put in one place.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the principle of moving the council closer to the residents of Surrey, and leaving the County Hall complex (in Kingston) by the end of 2020 be approved.

2.    That the principles and criteria on which the location for the new Civic Heart will be chosen be agreed.

3.    That the analysis provided for selecting a location for the new Civic Heart of the council in accordance with the selection principles and request that further work be done to provide due diligence for the leading location options – Guildford and Woking be approved.

4.    That the principle of reviewing council staff work bases, and relocating our people to other premises within the council’s estate, in order to better meet service needs and work closer with our partners be agreed.

5.    That the responsible officer be authorised to appoint advisors to work with the council to explore and appraise the options for the County Hall complex to maximise the potential receipt or benefit to the council, and for this analysis to be presented back to Cabinet in July 2019 be agreed.

6.    That a detailed programme proposal report, for decision, would be received at July 2019 Cabinet be agreed.

The decision was unanimous.

Reason for Decision:

The Community Vision for Surrey in 2030 and the council’s own Organisation Strategy envisage a quite different and much improved relationship and connectivity between the council and Surrey residents, and a new way of working for the council. A foundational step in furtherance of both is to locate the headquarters of the council in Surrey itself. The move (comprising the establishment of a ‘Civic Heart’ where many of the functions of a County Hall will be located, a wider workforce increasingly enabled to work in a more agile way and the introduction of new ways of working across multiple work locations) will secure benefits to residents and the council.