Council offices in two parts of Cornwall could be sold off in a bid to reduce costs.

Cornwall Council is considering basing most of its office staff at three locations in Truro, Bodmin and Camborne which could mean that the base in St Austell is sold, with the authority essentially withdrawing from the town.

It is also looking at the potential sale of Pydar House in Truro.

Last year the council unveiled plans to significantly cut the number of buildings it owns and operates in a bid to reduce its costs as well as improving its services.

Under those proposals, as well as selling off sites the council was considering spending more than £100million on building new offices and improving existing buildings.

That plan was taken forward again earlier this year after the coronavirus lockdown allowed the council to see the ease and benefits of having staff working from home, and so it looked at cutting the number of days staff would have to come to council offices to work.

Now, with financial pressures starting to bite hard, the council has reassessed its plans and is considering whether to focus its offices on three existing locations and cut back further than previously planned.

Pydar House in Truro which could be sold off or used for another purpose such as housing (Image: Google)

Pydar House in Truro which could be sold off or used for another purpose such as housing (Image: Google)

A new report set to go before councillors next week presents a 'Three Office Model', which suggests that office accommodation should be limited to three core buildings – New County Hall in Truro, Chy Trevail in Bodmin and Dolcoath in Camborne.

Under those plans staff would be expected to work at least two to three days a week at home.

By taking this approach the council says that it would bring forward savings which could be achieved, provide additional savings of £2m and reduce the capital investment needed by 20%.

And the council states that by taking this approach some of the assets no longer needed could be used to provide sites for housing.

In setting out the 'Three Office Model' the report, which will go before the council’s customer and support services overview and scrutiny committee next week, states that buildings which could be disposed of include the offices at Penwinnick Road in St Austell and Pydar House in Truro.

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The St Austell offices were formerly the headquarters of Restormel Borough Council and also provide meeting rooms and facilities used by St Austell Town Council.

When the closure of council offices was suggested previously there had been concerns about the impact it could have on the town which is one of the biggest in Cornwall.

The committee report states: “This alternative approach to the provision of office space and accompanied review of the programmes capital cost will set out opportunities for acceleration of savings to be made from the programme.

“This will be achieved through the identification and acceleration of disposal of high cost assets which do not feature in the council’s long term office plans. Two examples of these types of building could be Penwinnick Road, St Austell and Pydar House in Truro. We would need to ensure that the Integrated Service Hubs meet a range of local needs.”

It adds: “The proposed alternative model is to limit the provision of office space to the three core buildings of New County Hall, Truro (NCH), Chy Trevail, Bodmin and Dolcoath, Camborne.

“Service Hubs will be limited to a basic touchdown facility where staff can call in to use welfare facilities, touch down to undertake basic tasks such as emails or use any of the shared meeting spaces, with the exception of social care teams where work is required to ensure space requirements meet specific service needs.

“Service Hubs will still be places where staff can access green travel options such as electric bikes or cars but they will be much reduced in their size.”

The overview and scrutiny committee will meet next Tuesday to consider the report and any final decision will be made by the Cabinet at a later date.