Purpose

The purpose of this report is to seek approval
for the grant of a 5-year lease to the NHS Property Services at
Riverside House. The report also outlines the proposals around a
restack of the accommodation following a full review of the
Strategic Asset Management Plans.

Decision

ROTHERHAM METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL

 

RECORD OF OFFICER EXECUTIVE DECISION

 

Date of Decision:

04/04/2024
 

Title:

Riverside House Accommodation
and Collaboration with Partner Agencies
 

Decision Maker:
(Including Job
Title)

Simon Moss, Property, Regeneration and Transport
Services.
 

Details of Specific Cabinet
Delegation
or Delegation contained in the
relevant Sub-Scheme of Delegation.
 

That the
Assistant Director Planning, Regeneration & Transport approves
the underlease with NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
in respect of the space at
Riverside House, in consultation with the Council’s Section
151 Officer and the Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local
Economy.
 
Decision taken under
the powers granted to the property officer under section 29.12 of
the Council’s Financial Procurement Procedure
Rules.

Decision:

To seek approval for the
grant of a 5-year underlease to the NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board
at Riverside House. The proposed details of the
underlease are outlined in the exempt Appendix 3.
 

Reasons for the
Decision:

It
is good Estate Management practice to regularly review
accommodation needs and the way the Council occupies and operates
its corporate buildings. The Council’s has carried out this
exercise and established that there is spare capacity within
Riverside House.
 
Through
the Rotherham Strategic Estates Group and renewed collaboration
with public sector partners it has become apparent that other
organisations are also looking at ways to rationalise their asset
bases and cut revenue costs.
These
conversations have led to looking at opportunities to share spaces
and work together from a common base.
NHS
partners have reviewed their accommodation needs and following
review of several options have chosen RSH as their preferred for a
Rotherham office base.
 

Details of alternative
options considered and rejected:

Option 1 (Preferred Option) – Health Partners move to Riverside
House
Health
partners move from their current locations to Riverside House,
subject to full due diligence being conducted in respect of IT
connectivity and other service needs.

Option 2 – Market the Vacant Spaces
Following
the reorganisation of Riverside House there will be at least one
wing available for other users to occupy. Discussions have taken
place with local commercial property agents, who have advised that
the office market is not what it used to be, and they would
struggle to sublet accommodation of this nature in Rotherham
without dedicated car parking spaces.

Option 3 – Mothball the Vacant
Spaces
It has
been suggested that, as a short-term cost saving measure, parts of
Riverside House could be closed and mothballed. Unfortunately,
aside from the inconvenience of temporarily moving teams, the
heating and ventilation systems are interconnected and therefore
will not yield any real efficiency savings.

Conflicts of interest
declared by any Cabinet Member consulted by the decision maker
which relates to the decision:

No
conflicts of interest declared.

Dispensations
Granted:
(If any)

Not
Applicable

Reports or parts of
reports considered

Report to
Staffing Committee 10th July 2023
 

 
I
certify that this is a true record of the executive decision to
….
 
That the Assistant Director Planning, Regeneration &
Transport approves and negotiates the underlease with
NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care
Board in respect of the space at
Riverside House, in consultation with the Council’s Section
151 Officer and the Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local
Economy.
 
Signed by the
Decision Maker  

Dated:
4th April, 2024
 
Name:
Paul Woodcock                                  
Job
Title: Strategic Director, Regeneration
& Environment