Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Public Service Village - better service at a lower cost?
An innovative concept which would see borough and county council services being provided at a lower cost to Council Tax payers will be discussed by St Edmundsbury's Cabinet next week (11 January) and Suffolk County Council's Cabinet (10 January).
A Public Service Village (PSV) will take shape in Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, if the Cabinets and then St Edmundsbury's full Council on 23 February give the go-ahead. They will be considering a business case, looking at whether the concept makes sense from the points of view of customers, planning, affordability and value for money. If councillors give the green light to the concept then the PSV will need to go through the development control process, with detailed studies on issues such as environmental and transport impact. Consultation will also be carried out with those who use council offices as well as borough and county staff.
The proposal involves demolishing the former factory building, St Edmundsbury House, which is currently used mainly by the borough's finance, planning, engineering, transport, computer, waste management and support staff. This would be replaced by a new, more cost effective and easier to maintain building, which would be cheaper to run. This would also house all the council's staff now working at the Borough Offices on Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds. The Borough Offices would be sold to help finance the PSV.
Next to that would be another building for Suffolk County Council staff, replacing Shire Hall and other sites. There could also be a shared central "hub" building, with a council chamber, meeting rooms and other facilities, which both organisations could use.
Having all the council offices on one site will save money for Council Tax payers through combining services such as computer technology, receptions, cleaning and building maintenance. Other overheads, such as heating and lighting, will also be cheaper in a more modern building.
The size of the Western Way site means that other public sector partners could join the councils at the Public Service Village in the future, potentially making further savings.
An innovative concept which would see borough and county council services being provided at a lower cost to Council Tax payers will be discussed by St Edmundsbury's Cabinet next week (11 January) and Suffolk County Council's Cabinet (10 January).
A Public Service Village (PSV) will take shape in Western Way, Bury St Edmunds, if the Cabinets and then St Edmundsbury's full Council on 23 February give the go-ahead. They will be considering a business case, looking at whether the concept makes sense from the points of view of customers, planning, affordability and value for money. If councillors give the green light to the concept then the PSV will need to go through the development control process, with detailed studies on issues such as environmental and transport impact. Consultation will also be carried out with those who use council offices as well as borough and county staff.
The proposal involves demolishing the former factory building, St Edmundsbury House, which is currently used mainly by the borough's finance, planning, engineering, transport, computer, waste management and support staff. This would be replaced by a new, more cost effective and easier to maintain building, which would be cheaper to run. This would also house all the council's staff now working at the Borough Offices on Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds. The Borough Offices would be sold to help finance the PSV.
Next to that would be another building for Suffolk County Council staff, replacing Shire Hall and other sites. There could also be a shared central "hub" building, with a council chamber, meeting rooms and other facilities, which both organisations could use.
Having all the council offices on one site will save money for Council Tax payers through combining services such as computer technology, receptions, cleaning and building maintenance. Other overheads, such as heating and lighting, will also be cheaper in a more modern building.
The size of the Western Way site means that other public sector partners could join the councils at the Public Service Village in the future, potentially making further savings.
