North unitary signs off £3m fund to renovate staff offices
By Nadia Lincoln and Sarah Ward
North Northamptonshire Council’s cabinet agreed this morning to spend more than £3 million on renovation works for its corporate offices.
The budget will extend across six sites owned by North Northants Council (NNC), including the Corby Cube, Corby Enterprise Centre, Corby Innovation Centre and Kettering buildings, the William Knibb Centre, Haylock House, and the Municipal Offices in Bowling Green Road.
A report, set out by cabinet member, Cllr Matt Binley said the project will review the authority’s buildings and identify what improvements should be made to create an ‘improved work environment’ and get the most use out of the space. This will include the refurbishment of toilets, kitchens and office spaces, the replacement of furniture and IT works.
Works will also be carried out where necessary to electrics, lighting, heating/cooling and lifts. Wherever possible, the office transformations will help to contribute to the carbon reduction of the buildings through installing up-to-date equipment like new boilers ‘and LED light fittings.
In March this year, the council announced its plans to potentially move staff out of six bases across the county and consolidate its core buildings going forward. These included Haylock House at Kettering Venture Park; Sheerness House in Meadow Road, Kettering; Saunders Close, Kettering; West Glebe Day Centre, Corby; the Tithe Barn Offices, Wellingborough and Swanspool House, Wellingborough. The reorganisation of local government in 2021 led to the new authority having a large stock of buildings across the North Northants area.
At the executive meeting, Cllr Binley, pointed out the various issues within some of the buildings, notably the Corby Cube, which was built by former Corby Borough Council 15 years ago and has been plagued by problems.
He said:
“We are not going to encourage staff into the offices if they have leaky roofs, or they are absolutely freezing because the boiler keeps breaking down.”
He said the works would improve the energy efficiency of the buildings and therefore save money down the line and said any furniture would only be replaced ‘ where absolutely necessary’ and cast off furniture would be donated to local charities.
Conservative council leader Jason Smithers echoed Cllr Binley’s comments and said: “We need to make sure our buildings are fit for purpose. We want to attract the best staff in the country, we have an ambitious council here and having well refurbished offices helps with that.”
Cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Scott Edwards said the revamp would include new office space for the children’s trust, which largely operates out of the Northampton offices at One Angel Square.
The council report said:
“The condition of our properties is important, and priority works need to be undertaken to ensure that the life of the property is maintained, whilst alternative uses are considered. Therefore, essential works will be undertaken to ensure other properties remain in a good condition while their future use is considered.”
It says the project, along with the plans to vacate underused council buildings, will address the “fragmented” use of the NNC estate and place teams where they can deliver the ‘best outcomes’ for residents. Officers wrote that this would, in turn, enhance operational efficiency and reduce operational costs.
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Will they be using local registered/chartered building designers (such as myself, on of only a handful of architects in NNC’s area? To use a city based business or a business that isn’t local would be a waste of taxpayer funds.
No spending when you are are already overspending! Surely?