Sale of Hove Town Hall and council HQ being considered

Up to two thirds of Hove Town Hall and the whole of King’s House could be sold as Brighton and Hove City Council reviews which properties it can afford to keep.

The disposals could save taxpayers almost £1 million a year.

King’s House, the council’s headquarters on Hove seafront, may be sold for conversion to flats while Hove Town Hall is more likely to be sold or leased to businesses.

The council said that it was looking at ways to make substantial savings and help reduce its property portfolio costs.

The change would happen under the council’s “transformation workstyles” project which is looking at modernising the way that it works.

The aim is to improve “customer access” and “service delivery”, make best use of office space, save money and cut the council’s carbon footprint.

A report outlining options has been prepared for the meeting of the council’s Policy and Resources Committee on Thursday 11 October.

The council said that no firm decision had been made to sell the two buildings and further investigation was needed

Two main options are considered viable.

The first would entail selling all of King’s House and two thirds of Hove Town Hall. The remaining office space in Hove Town Hall would be upgraded for council use. Extra office space could be bought or leased elsewhere if needed.

A second option looks at the possibility of selling King’s House and converting public spaces in Hove Town Hall to make better use of the room available instead of finding another office.

The report recommends that councillors give permission for officers to look into likely demand for the buildings on the open market before any final decision is made.

If deemed viable the changes could be complete within three years.

However, the report points out there are a number of assumptions to test including planning hurdles and the potential loss of employment premises in Hove.

A dormant property market is said to present another potential risk.

It is estimated that the changes could save between £870,000 and £990,000 a year in running costs and could produce substantial productivity savings of about £2 million.

A council spokesman said:  “We said months ago we were looking into rationalising our properties to help change the way we work and this is where we’re up to.

“We have a duty to minimise costs to taxpayers. If we can work out of fewer premises that’s what any business would do – and that’s what residents would expect us to do.”