£7.6m sale of Hampshire County Council buildings given go-ahead

Hampshire County Council said Covid-19 had "accelerated" its plans

Plans to sell several council buildings has been given the go-ahead in a move to generate about £7.6m.

The plan comes after a 2023 review highlighted the poor state of some Hampshire County Council properties.

It also said low office use had resulted from new ways of working since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The council could move services, develop new working methods, and use retained buildings more efficiently, the review found.

About 2,000 county council employees work from the buildings under review.

It looked at offices, library buildings, former children's centre buildings and corporate storage across the county - although the closure of any public service buildings, such as libraries, was not considered.

The council currently spends £3.7m on the properties under review - with 10 assets contributing to 70% of the total property costs, reports said.

Three Minsters House in Winchester is among those earmarked for sale

It announced it would be first selling three properties in Winchester - Three Minsters House, on the High Street, the Four Chimneys Family Centre as well as property the Monarch Way site, near the Romsey Road.

Staff affected have been informed of changes and the offices would be closed later this year.

Services to the public provided in any of the buildings would be switched to other locations within Winchester that are accessible by public transport, a council statement said.

Council leader Rob Humby said that the pandemic had "accelerated" their plans.

He said: "Since Covid, the world has changed, the way we travel has changed, work patterns have changed, and now it is absolutely the right time to accelerate this and look at this."

On average, the review found that only 30% of desks in the buildings under review were in use at any one time.

He said that it was a "huge piece of work", adding the council would have to "think about the consequences of what we're doing and make sure we have capacity".

"We've got to make sure we have the capacity to cope with that as well, and I think the way we set it up with the delegations also ensures we can be agile," he added.

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