Shake-up could see new council '˜hub'

The authority says its current headquarters, Ryedale House in Malton, is no longer fit for purpose, unaffordable, in need of repairs and vastly underused.

Council officers are looking at “all options” for the base - including a move to a “community hub” which could see the 1970s office block demolished and replaced by affordable housing or a much-needed extra care scheme.

The landmark building was opened in 1974 when the then new authority was established and was formally opened by the late Princess Margaret.

The council - which covers the biggest area geographically in the country, but has the smallest population of 54,000 - is working on a business case for a move to Community House in Malton, sharing the site with several other public organisations.

Alongside the work to create a single community hub, a number of other options will also be considered, including the redevelopment of nearby Harrison House or the possibility of a joint new development with existing neighbouring sites.

The Council said all of the options will deliver long-term savings for taxpayers with reduced running costs - compared to the “increasing burden” of maintenance of Ryedale House.

Neither option will affect staffing numbers, the Council’s interim chief executive, Clare Slater, told The Yorkshire Post.

“Ryedale House was built when we were a much bigger council, in the days when we covered a much bigger area.” Mrs Slater said. “Currently it’s half-empty. A survey showed the windows need replacing and money needs to be spent on technology - but even if we rented it out for the next 20 years we wouldn’t make back the expenditure. It simply doesn’t stack up financially to stay here.”

The final decision on the future location of the Council offices will be made by councillors in February next year.

Mrs Salter added: “This first stage is about looking at options and finding out from potential partners whether the creation of a new community hub could help them deliver their services too.

“This is a big and ambitious piece of work, with the ultimate goal of making sure that we can support the Council’s services – and those delivered by our key public sector and community partners – in the long-run.”

The Council is also considering the future of its depot on Showfield Lane in Malton, which currently houses its Streetscene Services.

Last year, councillors agreed to work with North Yorkshire County Council and Yorwaste to develop a Waste Transfer Station at Kirby Misperton, and staff could be relocated there.

Mrs Slater said: “At the moment this is going through the planning process, but we are looking at how, as a council, we can work more efficiently.”

Work to develop the business case will include gathering the views of people living in the area on how they would prefer to access public services in future, both from the District Council and from others such as North Yorkshire County Council.

Chairman of the Council’s Policy and Resources Committee, Coun Luke Ives, said: “We’ve set out a bold ambition for how we can change the way we use our buildings to support public services across Ryedale. By working with others we want to help deliver savings across the board and make it easier for organisations to work together – this will help to deliver better services in the long-run, more cost-effectively.”