Cambridgeshire County Council agrees to sell Shire Hall headquarters and move to Alconbury

Councillors agreed today to sell Shire Hall in Cambridge which is expected to bring £39 million of savings over the next 30 years.

The county council, like most local authorities, has to make millions of pounds of savings due to cuts to its government grant.

A council spokeswoman said staff expected to make the move in 2020 to the enterprise area at Alconbury.

She added: “Cambridgeshire County Council today (Tuesday, May 15) ratified the decision of the Commercial and Investment Committee of Alconbury as the preferred location of the council’s new headquarters.

“Cambridgeshire County Council provides services for the whole of the county – today’s decision concerns a move of around 350 staff who mainly provide professional support services for the council.

“The county council will continue to have staff based in the city of Cambridge to provide essential services – for instance for registrations of births, deaths and marriages or delivering social work services for vulnerable children and adults.

“This move will allow the council to boost its presence in many other parts of the county too.

“No firm decisions have been made about the future of the Shire Hall site as this will now be marketed to bring the best return for the county’s council tax payers, with savings reinvested in council services. The key historic parts of the site will always be protected.”