For the customer

A better customer experience

A purpose-built York Customer Centre is the single most important focal point for the new headquarters building.  The new customer facility will allow quick, simple and easy access to services in one place in a modern customer environment that supports the overall customer access strategy.

Customers will no longer have to visit six different reception points in and around the city centre to access individual services.

The customer experience will be enhanced through improvements to:

• service delivery - by providing face-to-face walk-in access for all drop in customer contact and most pre-arranged meetings and interviews for the vast majority of council services.
• design - by creating modern customer facilities that will promote the feeling of openness and transparency, whilst being sensitive to the needs for confidentiality and privacy.
• Access - accessible and fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act, the building will offer additional facilities such as a 'Changing Places' facility. This provision will provide toilets and changing facilities for people with disabilities who need special equipment and support from carers.

For the environment

Consideration in design and operation

Our aim is to have a building that is designed to deliver benefits to the environment in its construction and subsequent operation.

The building will be designed and managed to achieve:

• low greenhouse gas emissions
• a minimum target of 20 per cent renewable energy to reduce the future running costs of the building
• additional sustainable elements for example, the use of rainwater harvesting to supplement non drinking water requirements.

The new headquarters will be sustainable in terms of its economic, social and environmental impact:

• Our new headquarters will be centrally located within the city, which will support existing infrastructure and transport links for York residents
• As York's largest employer, the benefits of a large number of staff walking or cycling to work can be achieved, which supports the council's green travel plans

For the business

Effective and Efficient Business Operation

• To establish the benefits of undertaking the project, the November 2005 Executive report demonstrated this solution was more cost effective than remaining in our current accommodation and undertaking a major refurbishment programme.
• Rationalisation from 16 administrative offices to four will achieve significant long term savings and offset the cost of the new headquarters building at no additional cost to York's tax payers.
• By remaining in our current office accommodation, over 25 years it is estimated that it would cost £125.1m (with potential for additional unbudgeted costs and liabilities that may arise).  The estimated cost over a similar 25 year period in the new office accommodation portfolio would be less at £107.7m, realising an estimated saving of £17.4m.

Cost comparison over a 25 year period:

Remain in existing office accommodation	£125.1m
Move to new office accommodation	£107.7m
Estimated saving	£17.4m

• The authority gains a valuable asset for the city.
• Supports more collaborative working between internal services, resulting in more joined-up and efficient delivery to customers.
• Potential to share space with partner organisations will also help to improve partnership working
• Opportunity towards improving the council's performance through new corporate working arrangements.
• An opportunity to implement a modern, open plan, environment that will be supported by modern flexible working practices.

For the City

Creating Opportunity

• The opportunity to release a number of important historic buildings, for example St Leonard's Place which can be sensitively restored by its new owner and brought back to its former Georgian glory and put to more appropriate use.
• The new Visit York Information Centre located on the corner of Museum Street is an excellent example of one of our early release buildings.
• By remaining in a central location we will be able to continue to support the vitality of the city centre.