A FREEDOM of Information Request has disclosed that Conwy County Borough Council staff occupancy figures for its Bodlondeb and Coed Pella bases reached a peak of less than 40 per cent for two weeks in October.

Obtained by the office of Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders, the FOI found that between Monday, 17 October and Friday, 21 October there was an average weekly occupancy of 33 per cent.

Out of 958 possible occupancies across the two sites, the highest peak number of staff was Tuesday, 18 October.

On this day, 363 members of staff were working within the offices, the equivalent of 38 per cent.

At the new Coed Pella building in Colwyn Bay, which costs around £1.45million a year in rent, the peak occupancy was 36.25 per cent out of a possible 720 staff members, with a maximum 261 members of staff present in the building on Tuesday, 18 October.

Commenting on the lack of use of the Local Authority’s flagship buildings, Mrs Finch-Saunders said: “Covid regulations have long finished, and as such there is no legal requirement to work from home.

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“Last July I implored the new Cabinet of Conwy County Borough Council to consider reviewing their hybrid working system, and get the staff and Councillors back into the buildings.

“When considering the serious impact the properties, especially Coed Pella, have on tax payers money, it is unacceptable that the Local Authority, post-Covid, has not made full use of the facilities

“Should the pattern of low occupancy continue, I urge the Cabinet to consider allowing private businesses to use some of the office space so that some income can possibly be had from what is turning out to be a bad investment.”

Conwy County Borough Council said that staff occupancy in the buildings had ‘risen steadily’ since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in July, but they had introduced hybrid working conditions for a lower carbon footprint and greater productivity.

A Conwy County Borough Council spokesperson said: “The final Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in our offices in July 2022, since then, the number of staff working in our offices has risen steadily.

“Welsh Government detailed its clear ambition (2021) to see around 30 per cent of the workforce working from home or remotely.

“In accordance with this aspiration, the Council has introduced hybrid working where Councillors and office-based staff are able to work from home and attend the office depending on need (frequency depends on job role, personal circumstances etc.)

“Hybrid working offers benefits to our employees, customers and the Council, including lowering our carbon footprint through reduced emissions from reduced travel.

“In light of new hybrid working practices, Cabinet has approved a new review of our office estate and we are working on a report to present through the democratic process.”