Nottinghamshire police and fire to share new £18.5m HQ

Plans were approved today for the fire service to move onto the site of the police headquarters, at Sherwood Lodge, by 2021.
The current fire service headquarters at Bestwood Lodge will then be sold.The current fire service headquarters at Bestwood Lodge will then be sold.
The current fire service headquarters at Bestwood Lodge will then be sold.

The current fire service headquarters at Bestwood Lodge will then be sold.

The two services say the move will bring ‘operational efficiencies, interoperability and financial savings.’

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The head of the fire authority, councillor Brian Grocock, said the savings would be ‘minimal’ for the first five years, but that it would save significant funds in the long term.

The current fire service headquarters at Bestwood Lodge will then be sold.The current fire service headquarters at Bestwood Lodge will then be sold.
The current fire service headquarters at Bestwood Lodge will then be sold.

Documents seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service show there is expected to be a cost to the fire service of around £550,000 to relocate, it is understood.

The cost of the total project is forecast to be £18.5 million, with a total cost to the fire service of around £4 million and the rest funded by Nottinghamshire Police, the documents show .

The decision was made by the fire authority today. At the same meeting it was unanimously agreed to increase the fire precept – the part of the council tax which goes to the fire service – by 2.95 percent.

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This is the maximum amount the tax can be raised by without holding a referendum.

Last week, the police also raised their precept by 12 percent – the maximum amount they are allowed to raise their part of the council tax by.

Both services have seen real-terms reductions in the funding they receive from central government in recent years.

Asked about the decision to build a new joint headquarters at a time of financial pressure for both authorities, Labour’s police and crime commissioner Paddy Tipping said: “The issue isn’t so much about finance, it’s about resilience. If you were designing the 999 services now you wouldn’t have three bodies delivering it.

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“There’s a statutory obligation to consult, and as we speak the fire service is being inspected by the inspectorate, who were asking questions about this.

“It will provide, because we’re all together, all sharing stuff, a better service, a stronger service to the public in Nottinghamshire.”

The services say the project will see the modification and refurbishment of existing buildings alongside some new-build construction where required.

Among the new facilities will be a police control room, a joint multi-agency incident command room, a new training facility relocating the police training centre from the current Watnall and Hucknall sites, joint office accommodation, shared meeting and conference facilities, welfare resources, a canteen and a gym.

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Mr Tipping said while there were plans for sharing back-office functions there was ‘no plans at present’ for any redundancies.

“We don’t as a result of the move expect any redundancies. In the longer term, you bring the finance departments together, you bring the HR departments together, but that’s not on the cards at the moment.”

Councillor Grocock said: “We’ve done everything possible at the fire service to minimise any redundancies over a long period of time.

“But as of now, there are no redundancies forecast.”

Craig Guildford is the chief constable of Nottinghamshire Police, and said the project was a ‘fantastic opportunity’ for the services.

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He said: “There will be huge benefits to the public from a joint HQ when tackling community safety and prevention issues, and the improved facilities for our officers and staff, as well as those at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue, will reinforce my ambition that we are an employer of choice and a commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of those who work at Nottinghamshire Police.”