THE FUTURE of various Buckinghamshire Council buildings was confirmed to provide ‘best value for money for residents’.

Plans include moving staff in High Wycombe and redeveloping the King George V House in Amersham into housing.

Buckinghamshire Council approved the new Estates Strategy on January 5 designed to bring millions in savings to the Council purse through reduction in office building costs, while reducing the Council’s carbon footprint and responding to change in office use post-Covid pandemic.

The move comes after the Conservative- led Bucks Council proposed to raise the Council Tax levy by 4.99 percent in 2023/24 and make £30m worth of savings to fill the £63.2m deficit.

Council’s Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources John Chilver said: “Our new Estates Strategy will see us review all our buildings across Buckinghamshire as part of an overall aim to make sure we are making the best use of our office buildings, and to ultimately provide the best value for money for residents. This was always the case once we became a new council with an estate inherited from five legacy councils.”

What Council buildings will change?

 

The strategy will take into account how working patterns have changed after the coronavirus pandemic.

It allows Council offices to “maximise the benefits of flexible working, whilst ensuring that we meet the requirements of our residents and continue to drive improvements in productivity,” Mr Chilver said.

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The Council was committed to providing in-person customer access to resident through Council Access Points.

Here is how Council offices will be changed following the new Estates Strategy.

The Gateway, Aylesbury

After made the interim Bucks Council HQ in April 2020, it will remain as headquarters following a successful pilot.

Wycombe Old Library, High Wycombe

All staff will relocate to Wycombe Office on Queen Victoria Road and the building will be let. Likely to happen in early 2023.

King George V House, Amersham

The building is currently only around 20 percent occupied.

All remaining staff will relocate to Wycombe or Aylesbury around summer 2024, and the building will be redeveloped into housing, including affordable housing in the town centre.

A “small footprint in the town” was proposed, pending a consultation with staff and stakeholders, the plan said.

Capswood offices, Denham

The building closed in spring 2020 when the pandemic shut offices, and it won’t be opened again.

The Council will look to surrender the lease with the landlord early, which is due to run until 2026.

Walton Street Tower, Aylesbury

All options for the Walton Street Offices are open. Now the Council will consider whether to regenerate, develop or sell.

Currently the building is only partially occupied.