Conwy councillors debate what should happen to its offices if working from home stays 'the norm'

During a meeting of the authority’s democratic services committee on Monday, the issue of how councillors conduct future meetings was discussed, with findings from a survey of their attitudes.

What is now being developed in readiness for an eventual return to normality is a hybrid solution to committees, supported by around 70 per cent of the county’s councillors.

Much like the Senedd and UK Parliament, some members would attend in person and others remotely, via Zoom or similar software.

New ways of working for staff are also being developed by the authority which, together with  hybrid meetings mean available building space will be underused – and some possibly redundant in the post-pandemic landscape.

The subject brought up a comment from cabinet member for economic development Goronwy Edwards, who said the “economic benefit” of flagship £58m offices Coed Pella in Colwyn Bay wasn’t being realised.

Cllr Goronwy Edwards who represents Caerhun ward on Conwy Council

He said: “What will be the effect of working from home? Because we know we built Coed Pella very much as part of the raison d’etre we stimulated the economy in Colwyn Bay – and that’s not happening now.”

As part of the council’s recovery strategy from Covid, it has been looking at how staff will work when the pandemic ends via the “Renewal Programme”.

It’s clear senior officers see benefits of some workers doing their jobs in their own homes, either through reduced costs to the authority or by lowering its carbon footprint, as it seeks net zero status by 2030.

Back in July, an update on the Renewal Programme highlighted the benefits of “reduction in carbon footprint via reduction in use of office space; reduction in staff travel; working from home; holding remote meetings”.

If buildings like Coed Pella are underused what will this mean for outlying buildings such as Bodlondeb, long seen as the council’s “head office”?

The council is already well down the road to developing Dinerth Road, Rhos-on-Sea, and has struck deals to redevelop the former civic buildings in Colwyn Bay and the civic centre in Conwy.

Conwy county council’s chief executive Iwan Davies said: “It’s inevitable businesses and organisations of all sorts will be reviewing their accommodation needs once we come out of the pandemic.

“Conwy is no exception, especially as there have been some significant benefits identified from working from home.

“However, it’s too early for us to know what our accommodation requirements are likely to be, and therefore no discussions have taken place about any of our key sites.”

Bodlondeb Conwy County Hall, picture by Shane Brnnan

Coed Pella costs £1.45m a year in rent and is set to cost £58m over its 40-year lease but it’s also built to be environmentally friendly and has been labelled a “flagship” development, so seems unlikely to be sacrificed after being open for less than three years.

Perhaps an indication it’s here for the long haul is in the council’s desire to close Colwyn Bay library building and move it lock, stock and barrel into Coed Pella.

Another library, Llanrwst, is set be moved to the former Glasdir business centre in the town, now vacant after the ravages of the pandemic on the local economy.

The moves are part of a wider plan to use libraries as community hubs, reducing the need for council tax payers to travel to Coed Pella or Bodlondeb for face-to-face services, according to officers.

So with fewer Coed Pella staff actually in the building the space will need to be filled.

Renting space out is one option, as is the already favoured idea of using some for library services.

Whether it means the end for some more of the council’s outlying offices remains to be seen.

As for councillors, they told the authority’s survey they generally like working from home, as it allows them to attend meetings more easily.

Attendance has been better during the pandemic,  although most said they miss the human interaction of face to face meetings.

Not all representatives like working remotely, such as cabinet member for economic development Cllr Goronwy Edwards.

He said he found it “very trying” with more strain on the eyes, more backache and increased headaches caused by sitting at computer screens for prolonged periods.

Around half of members said they will work differently after the pandemic than they did before it – but the biggest issue facing remote meetings is connectivity, which in some rural areas remains woefully poor.

A decision will be taken this month on whether to allow remote attendance as an option for all future meetings.