Angus Council is considering the shock sale of its showpiece Forfar HQ.
The authority wants to cut costs by looking at the future of Angus House at Orchardbank.
And it could mean offices in the building being sub-divided for lease or sale within the next couple of years.
The radical recommendation comes as the authority has found the HQ building with extra space in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
Why is the future of Angus House under review?
At a meeting of the full council on Thursday elected members will be asked to give the go-ahead to market the building.
It occupies a landmark site at Orchardbank Business Park beside the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen dual carriageway.
The report to councillors sets out how the success of the council’s Agile programme, which provided Angus Council staff with the ability to work at venues outside its offices, has resulted in spare capacity within it.
The council says it could harm opportunities to make significant future financial and carbon savings.
It costs the authority more than £400,000 a year to run Angus House.
Started in 2015, the Agile programme has delivered £3.68million of recurring revenue savings.
It has also brought in £1.33m in property sales.
And the council’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have been cut by 298 tonnes.
Built two decades ago
Chief executive Kathryn Lindsay said: “Twenty years ago, when the building of Angus House was approved, no one could have foreseen the changes to working practices that technology has enabled and that were further embedded during the Covid-19 pandemic period.
“We are committed to finding the best approach going forward, considering how best to support colleagues in their delivery of services to the public, while promoting the effective utilisation of office space and council resources.
“This marketing exercise will give us important data to inform the ongoing assessment of the potential options for further rationalisation of our estate and in turn support councillors in their decision-making.
If approved, Angus House will be marketed for part lease if sub-divided into smaller suites, full lease, or sale, for a period of up to 18 months.
Ms Lindsay added: “I would like to pay tribute to our staff who have shown incredible flexibility and resilience in their roles.
“It is their willingness and ability to move to innovative working practices and find creative ways to maintain effective working relationships within and between teams which now provides us with the opportunity to consider new ways to reduce our carbon footprint and our outgoings, directing more of our limited funds to the service of the people of Angus.”
The Agile programme has seen the council estate shrink by 32 properties.
Those have now either been returned to town common goods, leased out, made subject to a successful community asset transfer or sold off.
Conversation