COUNCIL’S £9m EMPTY PROMISE
A MULTI-million-pound council headquarters has been left largely empty after staff were asked to return to their desks for just one day a fortnight, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
York House opened after a taxpayerfunded £9.6million refurbishment in 2019, with Windsor and Maidenhead Council claiming it would allow for a ‘significant’ customer-facing office, including a residents’ services hub for visitors to discuss issues in person with the 300 staff members based there.
But three years on, the council’s flexible working policy has left the building empty, with residents dealing with lengthy waits on the telephone and an unreliable online complaints system.
A visit on Friday by The Mail on Sunday found the building largely deserted and the dedicated council worker car parking spaces nearby all empty.
A council source said: ‘When the opportunity arose to let out the ground floor at York House, the reception was closed based on its low usage. That decision was taken prior to the pandemic.’