Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire Councils to move to new HQ

The councils will use Abbey House in Abingdon "for a couple of years" until a HQ in Didcot is ready

Councils that have used a temporary HQ since their building was destroyed in a blaze will move into another new base ahead of a permanent one being built.

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils' Crowmarsh Gifford headquarters was destroyed in an arson attack in January 2015.

They have used offices in Milton Park, near Didcot, since summer 2015 but will move to offices in Abingdon in October.

Both plan to move into a permanent new building in Didcot in the coming years.

The initial plans for the Didcot site have yet to be fully signed off by South Oxfordshire District Council and possible costs remain unclear

The authorities say they will use temporary office space in the Vale's Abbey House building "for a couple of years", while South Oxfordshire completes the development on a new multimillion-pound office building at Didcot Gateway, opposite the town's train station.

The councils share staff and offices but are run by different councillors.

In a statement they said ending their lease at Milton Park at the end of September meant they would save "significant sums" in rent.

Most of their staff have hybrid working arrangements so they can work remotely and need less office space.

The former council building was destroyed after Andrew Main drove a car filled with gas cylinders into it.

He also set fire to an undertakers and a thatched cottage nearby.

Main, from Rokemarsh, was detained in a mental health unit in May 2015.