Nottingham City Council has approved the appointment of a specialist adviser for a £200,000 review of its offices to assess how much space it needs and identify potential savings.
The review will examine whether the council’s administrative buildings meet current and future staffing and service requirements, and whether offices could be used more efficiently or consolidated.
The decision was taken on 15 October by Beverley Gouveia, director of corporate landlord and economic development, and published on 29 October.
According to the decision report, the council operates from a substantial office portfolio, with Loxley House as its principal headquarters. Changes in working practices, hybrid working, service transformation programmes and the potential effects of local government reorganisation have prompted the review.
The adviser will assess how effectively buildings are used, their performance and compliance, and the council’s future accommodation requirements. The work will produce recommendations on the future role of individual buildings and the amount of office space the authority needs.
The estimated £200,000 cost will be met in full from the council’s approved Asset Rationalisation Fund. Finance officers confirmed that sufficient funding is available and described the work as a one-off investment forming part of a wider strategic review of council assets.
The report says the expenditure may help identify future savings and efficiencies, but does not give a savings target or specify which offices could be affected.
The decision approves the appointment process for an adviser. It does not approve any particular office closure, sale or relocation.
Any recommendations with financial or staffing implications will require separate assessment, business cases and approval through the council’s decision-making processes. The findings will also be used to develop a prioritised plan for changes to the office estate.
Officers considered carrying out the review internally but rejected that option because of the specialist expertise required, including analysis of building occupancy, financial modelling and comparison with recognised sector standards.
The report says the scale and complexity of the work would place significant demands on existing staff. An external adviser would also provide independent scrutiny and comparisons with other organisations.
A review limited to individual buildings was also rejected because it could overlook wider opportunities to bring services together, accommodate hybrid working and reduce the overall office space required.
The council will select an adviser through a competitive tender using a government estate management framework. Suppliers that responded to an earlier expression of interest will be invited to submit bids.
