The report is to outline further delivery of the “better ways of working” initiative that enables employees to work flexibly and to consolidate use of premises.  This decision will specifically relate to the future occupancy of the Nelson House building and consider changes to Plough Lane and Elgar House offices to accommodate any increased occupancy of these buildings.  The report will include details of any required financial investment and associated savings, details of any required procurement and any guidance to changes to staff working practices that will enable the improved usage of the workspace.

The cabinet member commissioning, procurement and assets introduced the report supported by the strategic property services manager and the assistant director corporate support. It was highlighted that the principles of better ways of working (BWOW) had been in place at Herefordshire Council for around 10 years and this represented the next phase. Objectives included keeping the cost of back office functions to a minimum and being mindful of the declared climate emergency. A key element of this next phase was to move staff out of Nelson House in Hereford in order to release the lease on that property and to increase usage of the Plough Lane offices. The move was expected to improve collaborative working and integrate staff from children’s and adults social care.

In discussion of the report it was noted that:

·        There were a lot of potential benefits to the approach but also some issues that would need to be addressed such as confidentiality requirements and sufficient parking for those staff who had emergency duties and required access to a vehicle;

·        The desks currently in use at Plough Lane were quite deep and it was felt that by using narrower desks more staff could be accommodated in the same space without overcrowding;

·        The council had been trialling new software to improve access to conference calling facilities and refurbishments of the multi-agency offices would increase capacity and encourage more staff to use them;

·        Adaptations would be made to ensure that there were suitable areas for confidential discussions;

·        Assessment of tenders for contracts such as providing new furniture and equipment would take account of the climate emergency, score bids against their ability to recycle and on their social value

·        There would be specific consultation with staff moving from Nelson House to Plough Lane and reminders to staff currently in the Plough Lane offices of the standards they should be operating in terms of desk ratio and clear desk policies;

·        Many staff who worked at Nelson House already used the car parks at Plough Lane so the impact on parking would be modest, it was recognised that there was more that could be done to encourage different ways of travel to Plough Lane;

·        There was scope for increased flexible working subject to the specific needs of each service and ability to respond to public demands as the Plough Lane offices were open from 7am to 7pm;

·        The wellbeing of staff was important and changes would include things like use of breakout spaces which could have a positive impact and the views of unions would also be taken on board.

Group leaders were invited to comment on the report. Key points noted were:

·        Changes to working patterns could be disruptive to staff;

·        The multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) had particular requirements and these needed to be addressed in its move to Plough Lane, the strategic property manager confirmed that discussions had already taken place to ensure that these requirements could be met.

The chief executive noted that a recent difficulty with the fire alarm system at Nelson House had required many staff to work remotely or from different offices for a short period and that this could be seen as a dry run. There had been positive feedback from that experience. He stated that there needed to be a whole county solution focussing on staff rather than buildings, getting them closer to communities and reducing traffic and travel stress.

It was agreed that:

(a)             notice is served to vacate the Nelson building from 30 September 2020 making an annual saving of £155k;

(b)             approve spend of up to £850k to deliver the better ways of working project as detailed in this report through delegated authority to the chief finance officer in consultation with the cabinet member for commissioning, procurement and assets; and

(c)             the principles of better ways of working are adopted by Herefordshire Council (point 21).