Hove Town Hall has today been officially opened by the city’s Mayor Pete West, saving the council £2 million a year.
The building will act as a one-stop shop for residents, businesses and visitors and includes a customer service centre, local police and NHS, the Money Advice Service, East Sussex Credit Union and the Citizens Advice Bureau, as well as 800 city council staff.
The opening is part of the council’s planned drive to streamline and modernise its office accommodation to save money, become more customer-focused and environmentally efficient.
Council leader Cllr Warren Morgan said: “Moving staff from Kings House to a more efficient and modern office environment will help us to better meet the needs of residents whilst saving money.
“The new office space will also bring together public, community and voluntary sectors organisations, working alongside our council teams for the benefit of all our residents, businesses and visitors.”
Cllr Morgan added: “These changes are all part of a council-wide project which will see more than a 20 per cent reduction in carbon and almost a 60 per cent reduction in office space as well as the financial savings. As a council we are constantly looking at ways to improve while operating in a very challenging financial climate.”
Today’s opening means most council staff will now operate out of 3 main buildings – Hove Town Hall, Brighton Town Hall and Barts House – with Kings House no longer used and in the process of being sold.
Money from the sale of Kings House will be included in the council’s capital investment programme, supporting the modernisation programmes and helping to provide better digital services for residents, businesses and visitors.
The modernisation of Hove Town Hall will see 600 desks being used by 800 staff. Previously there were 400 desks and around 400 staff.
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