Surrey County Council Choose Woking Over Guildford For Its New Headquarters

Published on: 1 Nov, 2019
Updated on: 1 Nov, 2019

Midas House, Woking

Guildford lost out to Woking today (November 1) as Surrey County Council’s leader announced that it was moving its headquarters to Woking, after more than 50 years outside Surrey’s boundaries.

The SCC’s “decision-making centre” will move into Midas House on Goldsworth Road. Fellow Conservative Woking Borough Council (WBC) bought the modern site in February this year for £23.4 million from the South Yorkshire Pensions Authority.

SCC will now, it is reported, purchase the property from WBC but the selling price is not yet known.

The Dragon has received corroborated reports that a move to Guildford had been on the cards. Two options are believed to have been considered, sharing the offices at Millmead and selling Millmead and moving together to a vacated office building elsewhere in Guildford owned by GBC.

But after a delayed decision, SCC has chosen Woking a town governed by a fellow Conservative council. The building selected is close to mainline train and bus links and fit, SCC said, for an agile and dynamic workforce working in partnership with the residents of Surrey.

Staff will begin the move from the present County Hall in Kingston in phases from spring/summer 2020.

Cllr Tim Oliver

SCC Leader Tim Oliver (Con, Weybridge) said: “I am truly excited about this momentous move, which will accelerate changes in the way we work, enabling our employees to work even more flexibly and spend more time with our residents and service users.

“Aside from the fact that the new Civic Heart will now actually be inside the county of Surrey, which has been our long-held ambition, the real driver has been the desire to place services right at the heart of the population we are here to serve.

“A new modern facility in Woking will help us achieve not only those objectives but will also help to position us as a leading council fit for the future. This underpins the need for the council to be financially sustainable, as well as being in line with our reduced carbon footprint ambitions and green travel agenda.”

WBC leader Cllr David Bittleston (Con, Mount Hermon) said: “I am thrilled to welcome Surrey County Council back to the centre of the county. It is fantastic news both for Woking and the wider county.

“The move will be a major boost for Woking, bringing further new and exciting economic opportunities, jobs and making the town busier and more vibrant. The council’s decision shows how Woking’s regeneration and town improvement works are attracting key businesses and employers to the borough.”

The Kingston County Hall, built between 1891 and 1893, found itself technically outside Surrey when the Local Government Act 1964 left the site in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

SCC said the move to Midas House, with room for up to 1,500 staff and still subject to full council approval, reflects its transformation into an organisation fit for the future, with an increased focus on working alongside residents to deliver Surrey’s Community Vision for 2030.

The new building, mainly funded by the sale of County Hall, represents a fraction of the cost it would take to bring the existing HQ up to modern standards. Maintenance costs for the Victorian building are also high, and the new base means saving about £700k a year.

Cllr Oliver and all SCC’s councillors, the senior leadership team and staff representing all the council’s functions and services will be based at Midas House.

Other teams will also work in Leatherhead, Guildford and Reigate. Many staff will adopt “agile” work practices, basing themselves from a variety of places across the county, including district and borough council offices.

The Dragon has asked party leaders at GBC to comment.