Fife Council may shut offices on Mondays and Fridays as buildings ‘significantly under-utilised’

Fife Council offices could close on Mondays and Fridays as many staff continue to work from home.

New figures reveal some offices are just 15% occupied on some days.

However, this rises to more than 80% in the middle of the week.

Head of property services Alan Paul has now suggested the possibility of a trial that would see most offices close on the least-used days.

Other cost-cutting options include a reduction in core Fife Council office opening hours.

Opening from 8am to 6pm, rather than the current 7am to 8pm, would reduce office running costs by 30%.

Fife Council spends more than £5 million a year on energy bills, along with maintenance and other costs.

Meanwhile, work to dispose of some underused council buildings continues.

Closing Fife Council buildings

Rothesay House in Glenrothes was demolished last year.

And New City House in Dunfermline was sold and is being converted into flats.

Now council offices at Wemyssfield in Kirkcaldy have been declared surplus to requirements after staff were relocated.

Mr Paul says closure of County Buildings in Cupar would also deliver “significant revenue savings”.

Fewer than a quarter of the desks there are occupied on an average week.

Meetings have been held to ensure staff are aware of the need for change and “efficient use of accommodation”.

However, Mr Paul says changing Fife Council office opening hours should not result in a reduction in customer service.

One possibility is housing staff from several departments within community facilities.

Hybrid working means lower Fife Council office use

The council owns 1,700 buildings, excluding houses.

And its property portfolio is valued at £2.5 billion.

The property services chief says: “The adoption of the home/office blended working has caused the corporate offices to remain significantly under-utilised.

“Average weekly utilisation in 2024 varied between 22% and 64%, with daily attendance ranging from 15% to 81%.

“Previous counts confirmed attendance is typically lower on Mondays and Fridays, with a peak on Wednesday.

“This pattern is replicated across many organisations with a hybrid working arrangement.”

Other organisations, including the police and NHS Fife, already rent office space from the council.

And this could be expanded in a bid to increase income.