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1. Brief Description of the Project:

In 2002, the Council began to recognise that several of its properties were in a poor state of repair and were nearing the end of their functional life. With a number of forthcoming property junctures, including lease expiries, the Council took the opportunity to address its accommodation and staff working issues.

In 2004 the strategy was formulated and 2005 saw the development of the key policy framework, infrastructure design and procurement processes. In 2006, a project board was appointed to steer the Council towards its new strategy, which revolved around the rationalisation of the Council’s office accommodation.

In 2006, the Council saw the first of its services move to Anchorage House with the remainder of the programme completed by June 2007, including the rationalisation of buildings from 14 to just 5. The plan broadly followed the OGC gateway review process with the Project Sponsor being the Council’s Chief Executive.

2. Key Aims  

  • Rationalise office based services to occupy five core sites
  • For all managers to promote greater flexible working through initiatives such as hot-desking, shared meeting rooms and break out areas
  • Greater and more efficient use of ICT in order to support staff working and customer service
  • Improved customer access
  • Reduction in overall accommodation running costs through the disposing of obsolete buildings

3. Key Challenges/Major Issues
  • Inertia - resistance from employees to cultural and work style changes
  • Adoption of new technology
  • Managing the needs of each individual staff
  • The collation of critical information in order to facilitate change
  • Implementation of Electronic Records Management
  • Establishing key baseline figures for future benchmarking

4. Key Benefits/Successes
  • Flexible working and hot-desking, providing an overall 27% work station reduction (target 25%)
  • Expansion and relocation of the Council’s 24-hour Contact Centre to new and improved premises
  • The relocation of approximately 4,000 staff to five core sites
  • The vacation of all inefficient and sub-standard buildings
  • £30 million capital savings
  • A view to achieving a further £2 million revenue savings for investment in front line services
  • All public buildings now fully DDA-compliant
  • Cost efficiencies achieved through the provision of high capacity, secure printing
  • 24% increase in staff productivity and a noticeable reduction in absenteeism
  • Overwhelming positive response to completed staff satisfaction surveys

5. Lessons Learnt
  • Over time, the project evolved from being an office accommodation strategy, to focusing on the organisation’s work style in order to align how the Council works with the services that it provides
  • The need to appreciate the interdependency between property and working practices, and the importance of attributing equal weight to each
  • Continuous two way communication with staff and reinforcing benefits whilst addressing individual concerns
  • Interim solutions during temporary staff ‘movements’ are as equally important to the staff involved as the final project resolution
  • The transformation of one service area can highlight the requirement for change in another
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