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Office move 'will save £350k per year' - West Northants Council

BBC Man with short, light-coloured hair wearing a suit stands in front of the GuildhallBBC
West Northamptonshire Council leader Jonathan Nunn said the move would save money but also protect the county's heritage

A council has said plans to move its office staff to a new building would save £350k per year.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) employees will transfer from the historic Guildhall in Northampton to its headquarters at One Angel Square (OAS).

Some staff working at the Forum in Towcester will also move to OAS.

The leader of WNC said the plan would "maximise" the use of its buildings and protect Northamptonshire's heritage.

It is now almost three years since the council was formed after the closure of four old authorities but some staff have yet to be moved to their permanent base.

Google Brick building with many small windows and semi-circular façadeGoogle
The Forum, Towcester, opened in 2017 as a base for South Northamptonshire Council and a library

When WNC was set up in 2021, it inherited a diverse range of buildings, from the Victorian Gothic Guildhall of 1864 to the 21st Century Forum in Towcester with its modern atrium.

There were also council offices in Daventry, opened in 1987, and the County Hall of 1845, as well as eight other buildings.

Under the proposals WNC staff, currently based in a modern Guildhall extension, will relocate to OAS with the exception of the coroner's service, which will move to the old part of the Guildhall.

The historic Guildhall building will host civic and ceremonial events and continue to be the home to the Mayor of Northampton. 

Victorian-Gothic three-storey stone building with flagpoles outside
Some staff will move out of the historic Guildhall but the mayor will continue to be based there

When WNC was created, Northampton got its own town council which has occupied part of the Guildhall under a three-year agreement.

This licence has now been extended by a year to give the town council until early 2025 to find a permanent base.Some WNC teams currently working from The Forum in Towcester and Northampton's One Stop Shop will move to OAS.

One Angel Square, West Northamptonshire Council HQ with steel and glass facade
Many staff will move over from the Guildhall to the modern One Angel Square building

WNC said the proposals would save taxpayers at least £350,000 a year initially.Jonathan Nunn, leader of WNC, said: "It's important we do not waste valuable taxpayers' money on things like surplus office space and that we make plans to reduce office space and maintenance costs.

"The plans maximise the use of our building spaces but also recognise the importance of protecting our heritage and maintaining ceremonial and civic traditions."

Martin Heath/BBC Modern building with stone frontage and covered porchMartin Heath/BBC
The Abbey Centre in Daventry now houses a WNC hub for customer-facing services

Some staff from the Lodge Road offices in Daventry have already relocated to a "locality hub" in the Abbey Building and WNC plans to extend the services available there and at a hub in Towcester.

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