Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) is nearly home. As more and more staff move into our new offices in Magor, the council took a further step forward today (20th October 2011) by holding a full council meeting in Monmouth’s Shire Hall.
Monmouthshire County Council’s Chairman, Cllr Brian Hood MBE, said:
“County Hall is due to close early next year. So it was right and proper that we start to hold council meetings in different venues until a new headquarters is built. And where better than Shire Hall? Set at the heart of one of our major towns, Shire Hall is the ideal venue for MCC to hold a variety of meetings.”
This trail meeting was a success, although officers have been asked to look at the acoustics and the layout of the meeting room. Cllr Hood added:
“This was a good start. We have some work to do, but on the basis of today’s meeting I’m confident that the important business of the council can continue in a great venue between the closure of County Hall and the opening of our new building in Usk.”
Shire Hall is owned and managed by Monmouthshire County Council. The authority took it over in 2006 and together with its partners successfully bid for heritage Lottery funding for its refurbishment. The council itself contributed over £1 million to the restoration project. The council’s current headquarters are at County Hall, Cwmbran – outside of the county it serves.
Following the discovery of concrete cancer in the building, MCC is to vacate it and move to two main buildings in Monmouthshire. Staff are already moving to the first of these, in Magor. A new County Hall will be built in Usk. Both buildings rely on “Agile Working”, providing desks for only half the workforce. Staff are encouraged to work flexibly and are equipped to operate from any location with an internet link. This new way of working is already delivering substantial financial savings.
