The controversial purchase of office accommodation to bring the councils of South Norfolk and Broadland districts under one roof has been approved despite fierce opposition to the plan and the resignation of three Conservative District councillors.
A joint purchase
Councillors from both Broadland and South Norfolk Council District Councils approved the purchase of the Horizon building, which is at the Broadland Business Park on the outskirts of Norwich, and has an asking price of £9 million.
A joint working group made up of councillors from both councils was split on whether to recommend the purchase, so it did not make recommendations to the two councils on whether to acquire the building. However the eventual decision by both councils to go ahead with the purchase was met with councillor resignations. Conservative Cllrs Josh Worley, Michael Edney, and Clayton Hudson, chair of the working group, were all scathing in their comments at the South Norfolk Council meeting on 16th May when the purchase was approved.
Councillors whipped to make a risky decision
Cllr Hudson, now an Independent, said “Calls for a public consultation were ignored and the Council is going to make a disastrous decision, buying a large box on Broadland Business Park. It will cost taxpayers millions and become a white elephant.”
Cllr Edney said he was “fervently against the accommodation and I have seen absolutely nothing which convinces me that this is the right thing to do”. He was also critical of the Tories’ whipping system, saying while Liberal Democrats had a free vote, councillors in the Conservative group didn’t. “I had to resign from the Conservatives to be able to vote with my conscience”.
Cllr Worley claimed the Horizon purchase was too risky and that the business case was “built on assumptions”.
Supportive independent reports, but poor consultation
But Liberal Democrat Cllr Julian Halls, also a member of the joint working group, believed the purchase – while far from ideal – was the only option and that it would ultimately save on the costs of having two buildings for staff.
“I voted for the move on simple economic grounds that ultimately it would save money”, Cllr Halls said. “I am not allowed at this stage to say how much as the matter is still being negotiated. However running two old buildings and changing to one eco-friendly one has to be a major consideration.”
He added that the working group had trawled through multiple professional and independent reports, though he was disappointed that there seemed to be a proper lack of staff consultation.
“We were led to believe there was overwhelming support from the staff to work under a single roof.”
Dubious environmental claims
However, fellow Liberal Democrat Cllr Caroline Karimi-Ghovanlou from Broadland District Council voted against the purchase, saying the environmental credentials of the building were overstated: “I have serious concerns about the validity of environmental claims, and the financial risk to the council in purchasing this cavernous metal-framed building.
“This purchase was rejected by the working group [sic], as well as the Service Improvement & Efficiency and Overview & Scrutiny Committees at Broadland District Council. The lack of information regarding acoustics, and the cost of heating a large open-plan building with gas powered boilers is extremely worrying, as well as the cost of re-fitting the internal space. This is surely not a good use of taxpayers’ money in these uncertain times.”
The building, which includes ample parking and car ports with solar panels, was a former call centre and is being sold off by the Aviva company. Broadland Council currently occupies a site for staff at Thorpe Lodge in Norwich while South Norfolk are based in Long Stratton.
Coming next week at East Anglia Bylines… We interview one of the Tories who resigned from the party this week. Was it all about Horizon, or was it about broader concerns over the state of the party?
