Flintshire Council’s Ewloe office refurb could cost up to £280,000

Refurbishment works to an office which will house almost 500 council workers could cost up to £280,000.

Flintshire Council is moving workers from a range of service areas from County Hall in Mold to the old Unilever office site in Ewloe.

It comes as the authority plans to move forward with the demolition of phases three and four of its HQ on Raikes Lane in a bid to cut costs.

A contract has now been awarded to Merseyside-based company H Jenkinson & Company Limited and according to a tender notice, work to the new site could cost up to £280,000.

It says that the company will be responsible for all interior fixtures and fittings, including office furniture, as well as designing the layout of the workspace.

The notice states: “Flintshire Council are relying on the expertise and design abilities of the candidates to produce an aesthetically pleasing, practical and comfortable work environment for its employees.

“The vision of the authority is to have a workplace to be proud of and to provide a high quality workspace for its valued workforce.

“The contractor is to work within a total budget of £200,000 to £280,000.
“This budget is to cover all aspects of this project including design, goods & services and installations.”

The exact value of the contract is not shown, but the lowest offer received was just over £271,400 and the highest was £342,864.

The firm will be required to work with the council’s project management team to transfer existing equipment and furniture from the current offices.

Annual operating costs for the Mold building currently stand at £1.2m with estimated maintenance costs for the next 25 years predicted to be £26m.

In a report which went before councillors in June, it was also revealed that the cost of keeping the new base at Unity House vacant currently stands at approximately £700,000 a year.

The services earmarked to move there are social services, planning and environment, education and contact centre staff.

All refurbishment works are expected to be completed by September, with staff expected to move in between October and December.

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter.