Fenland District Council is looking into moving its 100-year-old headquarters in March as part of a review of office space.  

The move, it says, could lead to long-term savings for the taxpayer.  

The council's accommodation review is assessing the authority’s future needs to reduce costs and make savings, without any impact on services to residents and businesses. 

It has emerged moving the council’s civic and democratic headquarters from Fenland Hall in March to nearby Hereward Hall was one of a number of options presented in a confidential report to the cabinet committee on September 30. 

Hereward Hall is one of five offices currently owned by Cambridgeshire County Council that is being considered for closure before August 2025. 

And the accommodation review has found that the 100-year-old Fenland Hall is no longer practical and too expensive to keep, at a cost of £372,000 a year to operate and requires essential maintenance of approximately £3m. 

Fenland District Council’s Cabinet has now agreed that their preferred option in the ongoing review is the acquisition of Hereward Hall. 

The council has also clarified the confirmation of a preferred option does not mean it is committed to any course of action at this stage.  

Cllr Chris Boden, leader of Fenland District Council, said: “Our ongoing accommodation Review has made it clear that ‘doing nothing’ regarding Fenland Hall is not an option.   

“It is an old building which is becoming too expensive to maintain and would cost a lot of taxpayers’ money to make it viable for the future, which we of course can’t justify.   

“We want to spend that money on public services, not on running office buildings.  

“By moving to a more cost-effective building, we can better manage our resources and continue to deliver quality services for our community.” 

The final decision is dependent on:-

  • The results of a full business case. 
  • A formal decision by Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) that Hereward Hall is an asset they wish to offload.  
  • A separate formal decision by Cambridgeshire County Council to agree the sale of Hereward Hall. 

Cambridgeshire County Council’s decision about the future of Hereward Hall is expected from its Asset and Procurement Committee on Tuesday (October 15).   

The full business case into the potential acquisition of Hereward Hall is now being developed and is expected to go before full council for consideration early next year.