News

Labour councillors’ call for move back to County Hall for a second time

By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter

---

Nottinghamshire County Council’s move to its new headquarters near Hucknall could be reviewed if an opposition motion is passed this week.

The previous Conservative administration approved the authority’s exit from County Hall after around 70 years, instead building its £21m, purpose-built Oak House facility.

The council held its first meeting there under the Tories in May, while the new Reform UK administration will hold its first meeting there on Thursday (May 22).

But one item on the agenda is a Labour motion for the future of where the council will hold its meeting and conduct council business.

Cllr Penny Gowland’s motion calls for the council to stay at County Hall – the historic, grand building on the bank of the River Trent in West Bridgford.

It reads: “It is recognisable to residents across the County and is easily visited by hundreds of members of the public each month, thanks to its location and excellent transport links.”

It says Oak House is costly and has a remote location “without sufficient transport links”.

The previous Conservative-led authority decided to move away from County Hall in 2023 with the old building requiring more than £30 million of essential maintenance works over the next 12 years.

An additional £28 million, they said, is also needed to bring it up to modern standards.

Construction of the council’s new headquarters off Annesley Road, near Linby and Hucknall, began in January 2024.

The first full council there in March was branded a ‘political stunt’ by the previous leader of the Labour group, Kate Foale, as work on site was still ongoing.

This was not the first time the Labour group criticised the new building.

In a February full council meeting the group tabled a budget amendment looking at selling Oak House – which they said cost taxpayers £23 million to build – and keeping democratic services at County Hall – this was rejected.

Now, the new Reform-led authority will decide on Labour councillors’ second attempt to change the council’s home.

When asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service last week about the potential selling of Oak House, new Council Leader Mick Barton (Ref) said: “We’ve just taken control, I’m not interested in what Labour or Conservatives think.

“I’ll speak to my councillors, look at objectives. I don’t want to comment on  that until I’ve spoken to my own colleagues. There’s a whole raft of decisions.”

Cllr Gowland’s current motion wants to explore options of how to achieve the upgrades the ageing County Hall needs, “including through investing to save or through commercial avenues” according to the motion.

It also wants to assess the disposing of Oak House or the leasing of some of its space, with any proceeds used to fund other “council business”.

Former Conservative leader of the council, Cllr Sam Smith – who kept his Newark East seat at the May 1 election – firmly championed the move to Oak House.

Back in March he said the move was saving the authority around £200,000 on rent and nearly £2 million on upkeep.

He said: “County Hall has windows that aren’t efficient, water tanks in the loft that aren’t performing to the best it can do which affects the running water and toilets.

“Are [Labour] going to close the libraries, the family hubs, are they going to say to the residents of Bassetlaw they’re not going to repair their roads or pavements, or to the people of Sherwood they’re not going to be having their lovely country park protected [to fund staying at County Hall]?”

While Reform’s views on a potential Oak House U-turn are currently unknown, the new authority will decide on the motion in tomorrow’s meeting.

Conservative councillors are expected to vote against the motion.