Purpose

The council's main office in
Cecil Street has experienced significant change in the last few
years. Due to this, an Cecil improvements team has been put
together to identify areas of enhancement.
 
The initial phase of this
project focuses on reconfiguring the ground floor of the main
office. This will create a safer and more secure environment for
both staff and visitors. Key changes include the relocation of
Partnership One from The Gateway and the establishment of a secure
interview room.

Decision

Cabinet agreed the following
recommendations:
 
1. 
To approve the key decision to procure and award the
contracts to the successful bidders for the ground floor redesign
and refurbishment of the Council's Main office in Cecil Street,
where it exceeds the key decisions threshold of
£250,000;
 
2.  That the Director of Corporate Services and
the Section 151 Officer shall negotiate the final terms and sign
the contract with the successful bidder.

Reasons for the decision

The proposed reconfiguration
and refurbishment of the main office ground floor is an important
step. This project would significantly benefit the council's
operations, as the current layout could be improved to better
support working practices and enhance safety and
security.
 
The improved space is designed
to enhance the experience for visitors and staff by offering a much
better, more secure reception area, along with a private, dedicated
room for internal staff meetings and confidential
interviews.

Alternative options considered

The council could do nothing;
however, this was rejected as Partnership One would have to stay in
an unsuitable place, and important interviews would have to be held
in the main, less secure offices instead of a new, private, secure
room on the ground floor.
 
The council could refurbish all
floors of the Cecil Street office and fully implement a
decarbonisation plan; however, this was rejected as the costs for
the decarbonisation work would be high and potentially clash with
the planned Local Government Reorganisation.