Council decision to sell HQ 'short-sighted'

A council has been criticised for putting its headquarters up for sale after revealing the building was not being fully used.

Grafton House is on the market after Ipswich Borough Council (IBC) said that since more employees were working from home, it only needed 52% of the current space.

Ian Fisher, Conservative group leader on the Labour-controlled council, said this was "short-sighted", given upcoming local government reorganisation, and that the authority should instead take a lead by getting staff back into the office.

But council leader Neil MacDonald said all staff still worked from the office regularly, meaning "appropriately-sized and equipped office accommodation" was still needed.

The block, in Russell Road, Ipswich, covers 65,681sq m (707,000 sq ft) across five storeys.

A listing invites offers to either buy the building freehold or lease it, suggesting it could be used for businesses, homes, a hotel, senior living or student accommodation.

The council, which bought the site in 2015, would vacate the building if sold.

When it first announced in March 2024 that it intended to sell, the council said it hoped to move to a town centre location.

However, an upcoming devolution deal could see all councils in Suffolk replaced.

Fisher said: "It is disappointing to see IBC have put Grafton House up for sale.

"I see it as a very short-sighted move, especially with local government re-organisation on the horizon.

"Who knows what council buildings will be needed after the decision is taken on what the council structure will be like in Suffolk?"

He said people working from home, including council employees, were having a negative impact on the town centre.

"IBC should be taking the lead and getting staff back into the office. This will increase footfall in the town and would send a sign to other local businesses to do the same," he added.

MacDonald said there had been a "significant transformation" over the last five years in the way people worked.

"A proportion of council staff are working in a hybrid way, combining working from home and the office effectively, supported by digital methods of communication," he said.

"The council's staff all continue to work from the office regularly, meaning there is a continued need for appropriately sized and equipped office accommodation and a continued need for a place that our residents can visit in-person if they desire."

The council is proposing that new local government arrangements for Suffolk should include a Greater Ipswich unitary council at their heart.

MacDonald said that with discussions ongoing, it was "prudent" to "continue... evaluating the feasibility of alternative uses for the Grafton House site".

Currently two organisations lease part of the building: a cafe on the ground floor and Ipswich Town Foundation on an upper floor.

Combined rent brings in £32,994 per year for the council.

Lambert Smith Hampton, which is handling the sale, declined to give an indication of a price for the site to the BBC.

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