Utilities company staff consulted over office relocations

AROUND 1,000 staff - including 300 in Coventry - at gas distributor Cadent are under consultation over plans to close and relocate two offices and move some staff away from a third.

The process affects staff working for the national gas distribution company, formally National Grid, in Coventry, Leicester and Hinckley.

However the disruption for Coventry staff could be minimal with plans to create a new facility at Ansty Park on the edge of the city.

Cadent wants to close Ashbrook Court, in Coventry - which houses its business services department - and its Leicester Data Hall, and replace them with a new building at the Ansty Business Park.

It said the Leicester operation includes a “small office and a small call centre”.

Cadent also wants to revamp its main offices in Brick Kiln Lane, Hinckley, which it said were no longer fit for purpose.

The business has told staff the plans include “significant rationalisation and refurbishment improvements at Hinckley” adding they would “clearly impact a significant number of Cadent colleagues, and work locations for some people will change”.

One member of staff said they had been told Cadent was proposing what it called the “technical redundancy of all roles” at Ashbrook Court and Leicester Data Hall, and some at Hinckley.

He said the business wrote to him saying: “There are no plans as a result of this relocation to reduce headcount and at this stage it is considered that all existing roles will be available at the proposed new site, subject always to other changes that may arise in the intervening period as part of the natural development of the business.

“It is therefore our intention and hope to avoid the need for any individual redundancies.”

It comes months after Cadent wrote to almost half its staff offering voluntary redundancy.

It also announced it was cutting the number of contractors it uses and asking employees to consider more flexible retirement plans.

It was reported around 400 jobs would go across the company - 10 per cent of the 4,000-strong workforce.

A spokeswoman said enough people came forward to take voluntary redundancy under that consultation.

There are around 1,000 staff, including contractors, at the main office and call centre in Brick Kiln Lane, Hinckley, and 300 staff in Coventry.

As well as looking after the gas network, Cadent runs the national gas emergency service, which has a depot in Aylestone Road, Leicester.

A spokesman for Cadent said a decision on the latest plans would be made after the consultation had finished on October 20.

He said they would not know how many people were affected until after that date.

The spokesman said: “Cadent have announced the start of a consultation period with staff from its Hinckley, Coventry and Leicester offices, regarding the possibility of moving some of its office staff to a new purpose-built building at Ansty Business Park, Coventry.

“A number of our buildings are coming to the end of their lease or are no longer fit for purpose.

“We are taking this opportunity to review our options, significantly improve the working environment for our staff and to build an exciting and fresh future.

“Staff from the three offices are being consulted with during September until October 20.

“After this time, the business will be able to make the decision on the best location for the business’ future.”