On Thursday Aberdeenshire Council will discuss what offices need to be provided – and where – for our staff.
Folk may recall there was an attempt late last year by the SNP-led administration to quit Woodhill House in Aberdeen and head north to Inverurie in a deal to invest in sports facilities in the town.
That plan was thwarted by the opposition, and a short-term working group was set up to look at the options. There will be a report from the working group coming to full council, but I have not seen it yet. However a news release has been put out by the council and it appears that moving more than 800 staff from Woodhill House to Inverurie is still on the cards. That’s what the BBC is reporting too.
We will see. If there is such a pressing need to move the HQ simply because it is in Aberdeen, then perhaps we should change the name of the local authority from “Aberdeen”shire too! That might be welcomed by residents who live in Kincardineshire and Banffshire!
If Woodhill House were not habitable or suitable for purpose, then I would not have an objection to relocation. But I am told the building is sound. It is a central location, with good road access from all over Aberdeenshire.
The proposals also include investing in council offices in Ellon and Stonehaven, as well as the possible replacement of Gordon House in Inverurie.
Officers still have a lot of work to do and a final decision has not been taken. I do not want to prejudge the outcome of the full council debate on the report next week but it is important for the public to know that we as the opposition have put more transparency around this whole issue.
Maybe back to one name both in Aberdeen with two phone numbers ie 0ne for Grampian in Aberdeen, two for Grampian outside Aberdeen its a long way from Stonehaven to inverurie if yer bike brakes doon an the bus a day has past !!!!!
Who knows? The way local government is being gradually eroded by central government, we might only need one number – in Edinburgh!