Move from council HQ will cut waste and save millions for residents’ services

Liberal Democrat leaders of Hertfordshire County Council have acted decisively to slash waste and re-direct vital funds to public services.

They’ve now confirmed the decision to sell County Hall, the authority’s grand civic building in Hertford.

The council will now also fully move out of the large, costly building - which for the last year has been used for only two meetings a week.

The sale is expected to generate a £9.7 million saving for the public purse, plus savings of £2.3 million in a year in running costs.

That means total savings could deliver an extra £15 million over the next two years, to spend on Hertfordshire’s roads, SEND provision, and other services. 

Remarkably, Hertfordshire Conservatives opposed this bold cost-cutting plan and tried to over-turn it. 

Cllr Steve Jarvis, Lib Dem leader of Hertfordshire County Council, said:

“Liberal Democrats are determined to give the people of Hertfordshire value for money.

“That’s why we’ve acted swiftly, within weeks of taking office, to get rid of County Hall.

“It no longer serves any useful purpose for residents. The building is nothing more than a status symbol. That’s probably why the Tories wanted to keep it.

“We will now hold all our meetings at council offices in Stevenage. This will save huge sums for residents by not keeping a building that is expensive to run that we just don't need.

“But it will also improve efficiency - as staff will no longer waste time travelling back and forth to meetings.

“This decision is a win-win - and the next step in our mission to deliver a fair deal for Hertfordshire”.