Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) together with Councillor Derrick (Assistant Cabinet Member) presented the Accommodation Framework 2020-23 which highlighted that in recent years, the Council’s Accommodation Strategy had sought to identify future options for the corporate estate, particularly with a view to reducing costs associated with running and maintaining a significant number of buildings across the city.

Since the Accommodation Strategy was last agreed there had been a number of significant changes and principles that now needed to be incorporated within the Accommodation Framework.

The Framework would build on principles and outcomes agreed by Council, including the Climate Emergency Action Plan and the Corporate Carbon Reduction Plan that aimed to make Plymouth carbon neutral by 2030, the significant increase in digital working and flexible working and that Ballard House was not part of the corporate estate.

The Accommodation Framework also sets out how Plymouth City Council’s corporate office accommodation could be reduced by at least one building, rationalising the corporate estate and providing opportunities to make progress towards zero carbon by 2030 target and redevelopment in the north of Plymouth.

The framework approach rather than a strategy approach reflected that a one size all approach to the corporate estate was not appropriate but instead there were overarching principles that connected the management of all the Council’s assets.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) provided reassurance that as the city centre was incredibly important to the success of the city, not just for residents but for visitors, the Council would support the city centre within this framework, by prioritising its assets and ensuring that these were brought back into meaningful use and not just left as empty properties.

The Cabinet supported and endorsed the Accommodation Framework 2020-2030.