Why county now has TWO expensive HQs

UNCERTAINTY over the future of Nottingham's historic County Hall means that the county council now led by Reform UK is effectively operating out of two HQ buildings.

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

One is the authority's established County Hall base in West Bridgford and the other is the £19 million Oak House site in Hucknallwhich it was supposed to move into.

The Conservatives previously running the council intended to completely move out of County Hall, which they said was too expensive to maintain. Oak House was therefore used for a full council meeting for the first time in late April and business plans for County Hall's future were being drawn up. This trajectory has been thrown into doubt after Reform confirmed it is looking into the cost of staying at County Hall after all. News that County Hall may end up staying in council hands has caused relief for some, yet questions remain over what it means for the new HQ that the council never even fully moved into.

County Hall has become a landmark of West Bridgford area since its construction in the 1940s. Situated on the banks of the Trent and by Nottingham’s sporting grounds, the H-shaped green roof has cemented this structure in the imagination more than the usual council HQ ever would.

Yet the mantra of the previous Conservative administration was “services, not buildings” and it was in this context that the ageing condition of County Hall became clear. The estimated cost of both staying in County Hall and bringing it in line with modern standards was up to £50 million.

The administration therefore decided to set its sights on Hucknall.