Use offices or lose them, Eluned Morgan tells Welsh government staff
The 15 "core offices" include the main hubs of Cathays Park in Cardiff, Rhyd-y-Car in Merthyr Tydfil, Rhodfa Padarn in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, and Sarn Mynach in Llandudno Junction, Conwy county.Their running costs are £24.5m, according to latest figures.Another five offices and premises are located across Wales "to ensure a dispersed presence and to ensure that services can be delivered to meet business needs", the Welsh government said.It added "most staff continued to work remotely during 2023-2024. The evidence being that a higher proportion are doing so on a regular basis".
Independent MS Russell George raised concerns in the Senedd last week about the future of the office in Newtown, Powys.That office had the highest average daily percentage attendance in March at 22% - 17 staff.He said it was important to have government offices across Wales "because those offices and the staff who work there support shops and services in towns as well".He added: "It is important to employ and retain people who live in mid Wales to make the Welsh government more reflective of the needs and requirements of all people, from all communities across Wales."Morgan replied: "We are having a review at the moment, partly because of the change in the way that people work."It is important that we encourage people to come into work; we are encouraging them to come in. "But, clearly, there will come a point where you have to say 'if you don't turn up, we cannot justify keeping this particular office open'.The review of the Powys offices, in Llandrindod Wells and Newtown, is due to be completed by the end of September.
The attendances at other offices in March included:Cathays Park, Cardiff - 19% (576 staff)Caernarfon, Gwynedd - 17% (17)Aberystwyth, Ceredigion - 15% (42)Llandrindod Wells, Powys - 12% (13) Llandudno Junction, Conwy - 12% (49)Penllergaer, Swansea - 10% (34)Carmarthen - 10% (33)Merthyr Tydfil - 9% (55)The average daily attendance in January and February was 15%.
The Welsh government's latest State of the Estate report, for 2023-24, published in May, said it "looks back on a year where our offices remained under occupied as staff continued to work remotely". "This is being addressed by an ongoing increase in the amount of spaces now allocated to public sector tenants. "More of our spaces are being used as public sector hubs while Welsh government staff adopt a hybrid model of working."It continues, "the need for staff to be dispersed across Wales constrains opportunities for further office closures, however options to 'right size' is actively considered through development of business cases, investment appraisals and consultation with staff and trade unions as opportunities, such as break clauses or lease terminations, arise".It cites the example of the office at Grosvenor Road, Wrexham, which was vacated when its lease came to an end in January 2024, relocating staff into a smaller, single unit also in Wrexham. The report also said an empty office block at Picton Terrace, Carmarthen, was surplus to requirements and being marketed, and "uncertainty about long-term working patterns have been a factor in this office space remaining vacant".The report added "as remote working practices become more embedded it is anticipated that the nature of the office estate will change further and more opportunities for efficiencies will arise".Other public bodies given office space since the Covid pandemic include the Welsh language commissioner and the Food Standards Agency.Fran Heathcote, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union, told the BBC: "The current blended working arrangements at Welsh government have been developed with unions through working in social partnership, and we have no reason to believe the current arrangements are not working. "At such a time they are up for review, this will be done via social partnership with the Welsh government and recognised trade unions."
FDA national officer Jane Runeckles said: "Work is what you do, not where you do it. "The world of work has changed, and Welsh government should take pride in the fact it has taken a leading role in this."She added a sensible approach to hybrid working would help the Welsh government "recruit and retain the brightest and best".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
JEFF PRESTRIDGE: How to stop millions of pensioners getting taxed on their state pensions
Many pensioners feel victimised by Labour – and understandably so. Deprived last year of their universal right to winter fuel payment, they continue to be hit by a toxic mix of rising household bills and higher taxes on their income and savings. Yet they refuse to lie down without an almighty fight. Buoyed by the Government's partial U-turn on winter fuel payment, they have now set their sights on getting Chancellor Rachel Reeves to lift the freeze on the personal allowance, which has been stuck at £12,570 since 2021 – and is currently set to remain at this level until at least 2028.
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Business chiefs fear ID chaos under new rules to force company directors to verify their identities
Company directors will have to verify their identities under rules to be imposed from November. The Government confirmed the roll-out date yesterday despite fears that the imminent shake-up of Companies House will spark chaos among businesses. The Mail on Sunday has revealed that only 300,000 have done the checks since an online portal opened for voluntary registrations in April this year. From November 18, new directors must verify their identity to incorporate a company or be appointed to a registered business. The crackdown, which is designed to tackle fraud and money laundering, has already caused confusion. Some business owners who have completed the checks told The Mail on Sunday that it was a cumbersome and time-consuming process.
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Robert Jenrick wants Law Society to withdraw its ‘race and ethnicity' guidance
Robert Jenrick has demanded the Law Society withdraw new guidance that he claimed 'seeks to divide people on the basis of race and ethnicity'. The shadow justice secretary has written to the body, which represents solicitors across England and Wales, complaining about new advice aimed at promoting the use of inclusive language by legal professionals. The guidance says that racial categorisation is based in white supremacy, and 'was developed as an attempt to prove biological superiority and maintain dominance over others'. Mr Jenrick said these were 'dangerous ideas' and that society should be 'colour-blind and merit-based'. He claimed the guidance runs contrary to 'the principle of equal treatment' and 'seeks to divide people on the basis of race and ethnicity'. 'It is unacceptable for the Law Society to promote this kind of ideology, particularly as other legal bodies back away from these ideas,' Mr Jenrick said in a letter to Law Society president Richard Atkinson. 'I urge you to withdraw this guidance immediately.' The Law Society has been contacted for comment. It comes after a row over new guidance directing judges to consider the lives of offenders from ethnic minority and other backgrounds before sentencing. Opponents claimed the changes could lead to a 'two-tier justice system' in which people from minority groups are treated more leniently. The guidance, which the Sentencing Council argued would ensure courts had comprehensive information to decide on an appropriate punishment, was later abandoned after ministers tabled legislation to override it. The Law Society's guide is separate, and its stated intention is to help solicitors 'be more inclusive with the language we use'.
