Fury at £85,000 Shropshire Council office
Saturday 11th December 2010, 11:30AM GMT.
Bosses at cash-strapped Shropshire Council will begin sharing a new £85,000 office at the Shirehall next week.
It is half the original cost as the council is said to be “conscious of the need to be sensitive” in the current financial climate. But today the move was described as “despicable” by a trade union leader as the unitary authority is trying to save more than £66 million over the next three years.
The council said changes to office spaces were part of a wider programme of improvements in staff accommodation at Shirehall, in Shrewsbury, with the corporate directors releasing unnecessarily spacious office suites for more effective uses.
But Patricia Wilson, branch secretary of Shropshire Unison, said staff would be incensed at the spending of so much money.
She said: “There wasn’t a requirement or need for the chief executive to move anything at this time. If there was a cost implication it shouldn’t have been touched. It is despicable. The timing is so insensitive.”
Kim Ryley, council chief executive, said from Monday, he and the corporate directors, immediate support staff and key corporate service heads, would move into a shared open plan office.
He said the arrangement was a model of the council’s new style of working and had several important advantages and benefits. However, he said, in the current financial climate, the council was conscious of the need to be sensitive.
Accordingly he had intervened to cut the original projected costs by 50 per cent to £85,000, he said.
“Changes have been ongoing for some time, with further moves expected to ensure that the Shirehall building is used to its maximum efficiency,” said Mr Ryley.
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what out of touch people , this is a disgrace
the government rips millions off our incomes every year and they’re putting up vat
WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK!
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Sensational article
What is the money being spent on?
Refurbishment? If so of what/how much?
Closure of other offices?
We need to know more before condemning although I suspect “they” don’t want us to know any more
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There’s some amazingly frightening stories doing the rounds at the moment about how Shropshire Council is wasting money and loosing credibility with planning applications, etc, Tesco and Bishop’s castle issues spring to mind. Rise up you counciltax payers and search Google !
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Perhaps we can have a list of what has been bought? How can you spend £85k on offices?
What are the “savings”? and can they be banked.
When I save money I have something to put away for a rainy day – when a council “saves” it just doesnt spend so much!
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over paid, out of touch, just like the MPs
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muppets
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Just the other day i was having coffee with someone who works for the council and was saying that they had to re interview their staff for their jobs as cuts were being made, and also talk of the working week hrs being reduced and you here you have got the bosses wasting money in this way. No wonder this country is in a mess !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Perhaps now people will begin to realise why we are in this mess.
It clearly shows how disconnected councils (and government in general) are from the real day to day world of the majority. They have no concept of stuggles and challenges faced by “ordinary” people, where each penny has to be earned and accounted for carefully.
Quite frankly I’m sickened but not surprised at yet another example of their incompetence.
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I seem to recall a few months ago when staff were moved at short notice out of the West Wing at Shirehall that Mr Ryley told us there was no cost to the proposed changes in accomodation!
So is it a 50% reduction in cost or a 100% increase?
Furthermore: if we are supposed to be losing 000′s of jobs in the public sector why will there be pressure on accomodation at the Shirehall?
In any event Mr Ryley spends most of his time out of the county at council payers expense attending and speaking at meetings in many cases not related to Shropshire business. He should therefore consider a hot desk.
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meanwhile former district council offices sit idle, west gate in brignorth for example which used to house hundreds of council workers is now sitting virtually empty most of the time, although of course the lights are on but no ones home, typical wasteful public sector workers, they dont have a clue about profit/loss
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“Typical public sector worker, they don’t have a clue about profit/loss” – and I suppose you’ve got proof of that have you, or are you another who’s been taken in by one sided media reporting?
If your inaccurate statement on Westgate is anything to go by, then you’re obviously one of the many who comments first on public sector matters but actually hasn’t much of a clue about the facts. Perhaps it may interest you to learn that many services were relocated to Westgate, so it is in fact, not “sitting virtually empty”.
In these times of belt tightening, I too would question the expenditure of £85,000 on an office refurb. However, I will also defend my position as a public sector employee and kindly ask that you don’t tar us all with the same brush as the people who make these decisions.
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This is totally unacceptable to spend /authorise such expenditure in these circumstances at a time when front line resources need all the money they can get.
The Leader of the Council, Councillor Barrow and Chief Officers,should be called to account for such inappropriate expenditure and I trust the Media will not let this one drop, indeed perhaps it is time that the Shropshire Star took a more aggresive stand on scrutinising the excesses of Shropshire Council.
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We should all be appauled by this waste at any time but when people are being forced out of their homes and their jobs its completely unacceptable, every penny counts, for instance thats about 5 x teaching assistants, carers, librarians, bin men, street sweepers or salt gritters who will now lose their jobs to pay for this
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Maybe you could ask Mr Ryley to actually justify this spend? This equates to 4 or 5 normal paid jobs that would provide much needed employment.
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its like animal farm, the pigs get the best sty!
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The ‘New’ office is the open plan West Wing of Shirehall. It’s not new at all!
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hmm, strange this story hasn’t attracted any comments yet. Shropshire council isn’t presenting itself in the best light right now. Massive climb down in the Tesco planning case and unbelievable decision on the Bishops Castle biomass plant, definately not in the interests of local residents there. Whatever next! Watch this space.
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MAYBE MR RYLEY WOULD TAKE THE 162,000 A YEAR HIS EX SHROPSHIRE CHEIF EXECUTIVE TOOK AND NOT THE 180,000 HE GETS NOW THIS IS ABOUT A 12% RISE WHEN THEY ARE ASKING PEOPLE TO TAKE LESS THIS IS A JOKE UNITARY WILL COST US MORE IN LONG RUN IT SHOULD NEVER OF HAPPENED.
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So Mr Ryley has been able to cut the budget for moving his staff from one area of the building in Shirehall to another by 50%. What on earth is he spending £85000 on, is it for new carpets ,desks and computers. I’m sure many people out here in the real world would love a budget of that amount to finance a move to a new home let alone a move from one office to another. Come on Mr Ryley, it’s time to start and live in the real world, if you don’t care for the bus ride then it’s time to get off.
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I think this is insane.
My wife works for the council and is worried about maybe losing her Job nxt year over cuts.
Seeing the council spending and spending while cutting jobs is a sad case.
The saying “Lead by Example” obviously does not apply.
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The ‘new’ offices are in the West wing of Shirehall.
They already exit as open plan offices. And have done since LGR09.
There’s nothing new about them!
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If we are to believe the cost of moving from one office to another is going to cost £85000 what ever is the money being spent on, new carpets, desks and computers. Come on members of the council wake up and stop this unnecessary spending you were quick enough to agree the change in staff terms and conditions.
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I would like to point out that the West Wing was made open plan and re-fitted in 2008 after staff from the Community Services directorate were moved out to make way for the unified revenues & benefits team.
Since the carpets, blinds & I imagine most furniture was new at that time I for one would like to know how they spent £85,000.
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I am absolutely disgraced by this. As an employee of Shropshire Council we are all currently facing cuts and do not know whether we will have jobs in a month time. To hear that &85000 has been spent on an un-necessary office move is disgraceful. Staff are facing changes in terms and conditions, no pay increments for several years and change to working hours and pay which affects the people at the low end of the scale such as myself. I do not know how to describe how outraged I am.
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1) Chief exec’s new desk is closer to the free hot chocolate machine.
2) Special Batman style fireman pole that leads to reception.
3) Complete re-design of all Shire Hall stationery to include the strap line, “It’s your money but we’re spending”.
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May be it is time for the public to advantage of the opportunity to ask questions at the full council meetings. Email the council from its web site for details of how to go about it.
At least the reply to the question will be in the council minutes.
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£85k, is that the cost of converting the west wing, does it include the cost of moving and housing the original occupants, and converting the space originally occupied by the chief executive et al to alternative use? May be it would be nice to see the original bill of quantities(BofQ)published in the Star along with that of the £85k BofQ.
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i would like to see the break down of the full costs published through a freedom of information request please Shropshire Star!
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Why on earth are we putting up with this – for crying out loud – its very simple – refuse to pay your council tax!!
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and I trust you’ll be leading by example Robym?
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Do pot plants cost a lot this time of the year.
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The Chief Executive is conducting a management review of his senior staff and is planning a 30% reduction. In order to get the new team working together, they’ve all moved out of offices, into an open plan environment but which of course needs the facilities that is required for a senior management team. £85k spend against a seven figure saving? Makes sense to me.
This is an astonishing thread, filled with inaccuracies – even by those who work or know someone who works at the council – particularly given the real news today of what the cuts by central government will mean.
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new computers and furniture, this is what gordon brown would refer to as a stimulus for shropshire no doubt, if the cheif exec shares his economics with clown brown he should go now and spare us all from this folly
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I’ve never read so much rubbish in all of my life!! office moves happen all the time, £85,000 is minute in the scheme of things! if we are bothered/outraged etc at the waste of money then i wonder how many of you have read and replied in WORK time and have cost your employer time and expense!!
There are bigger things to be concerned about folks.
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“There are bigger things to be concerned about folks.”
There are, but that doesn’t make this any less of an important issue. This is the council that administers so much on behalf of the population of this county so every single resident has a right to be concerned.
Turn a blind eye if you wish but we will all be worse off in the end.
I heard a rumour that the Councillors would each be getting an Apple iPad. No doubt considered an absolutely essential part of doing their oh-so-crucial job. Meanwhile the people who actually get stuff done at SCC are hung out to dry.
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yes office moves happen all the time mate but in the private sector they make you pack up your desk into your own car, move it to the new office and then come in on the weekends to set up all the new IT in your own time, oh and you dont get a new desk every time you move either
The whole thing could have been done for 8 grand not 80 and indeed if done during office hours it could have been done with in house staff at no net cost
its a scandalous waste of MY taxes from an out of touch, bloated, beaurocratic organisation who doesnt have a clue about economics
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sounds like more of the same from the people who doubled council tax over ten years and bought you such successes as that ‘public art’ by the river, cycle lanes which suddenly run out at junctions, “diversity officers”, “biodiversity officers”, ungritted roads every winter, fortnightly bin collections, and other such pointlessness
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idiots
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Quote from Mr Ryley in June 2010
“All we are doing is moving staff to accommodate that change. The costs involved are minimal. We are using existing equipment and furniture.”
“This is part of wider changes which are about getting frontline services closer to people where they live, and making sure that staff are in the best place to deliver services.”
So now we know two things:
Mr Ryley regards £85k as being Minimal:
The west wing is nearer the main entrance at Shirehall and is populated now by the executive management team, they are not closer to the people, they have no day to day contact with the public. They just have less distance to walk from the car park.
Read more: http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2010/06/01/shirehall-staff-to-make-way-for-new-office-suite-2/#ixzz18dUHUTg0
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