New future for council offices
A meeting of Wealden District Council’s Cabinet on Monday agreed that its Hailsham offices should be identified as the Council’s headquarters for administrative purposes.
Over time this will enable the Council’s Pine Grove offices to be shared by Wealden with other Councils and Organisations with a view to creating an important focus for public service provision for the people of Crowborough and the north of the district.
“There was simply no way we could continue to operate as a district council with two headquarters offices because of the inefficiency it created in terms of use of office space and the demands on employees’ time in travelling between the two headquarters,” said Council Nigel Coltman, Leader of Wealden District Council.
“We are excited about the opportunities this decision now opens up for the Pine Grove campus at Crowborough which we fully expect will act as a important operational hub for a number of public bodies including East Sussex County Council, while providing offices in the north for Wealden District Council. The demand from other public services to be located in Crowborough has helped guide our decision.
“What we expect to see in Crowborough is something far better than exists today, but this decision is only the necessary first step in a process that will take a number of years as we work in partnership with other interested users of the site.”
“I must stress that this decision does not involve making further cuts in the number of staff employed by Wealden District Council, although it will involve staff making greater use of hot-desking and home-working,” added Councillor Coltman. “I believe that through sensible use of new technology we can more efficiently serve a large district like Wealden and reduce congestion on our roads through staff operating from a home base.”
The Cabinet decision to choose a single headquarters location follows an independent report on both its Pine Grove, Crowborough; and Vicarage Lane, Hailsham; sites by DTZ Pieda Consulting. The Cabinet had already ruled out the possibility of building a new headquarters at a location in the middle of the district as being too costly, and out of keeping with modern working practices and the needs of local government today.
