Nottinghamshire Council County has announced it plans to spend £500,00 to remain at County Hall while it reviews the future of the iconic building.
The council said County Hall has the potential to be a headquarters for one of the new unitary authorities due to be formed in 2028.
Under the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) proposals, all nine existing local authorities would be abolished and replaced with new unitary councils serving larger populations.
Nottinghamshire County Council’s LGR preference is for the City Council to join with Broxtowe and Gedling to form one of the new unitary authorities and for the County Council and remaining district and boroughs to join to form the second unitary authority.
A series of options will be now worked on until February 2026 to focus on what development work may be needed to maintain County Hall as a long-term asset, including capacity for a larger council chamber.
This review will also look into revenue and commercial opportunities for the land around the site to help regenerate the area.
In 2023, a vote took place in Full Council to move out of County Hall by the Summer of 2025 due to the maintenance costs of the building. Given this planned move, maintenance investment in County Hall was reduced to a minimum.
To ensure that the older site remains safe and operational, the council has authorised a £500,000 package of urgent maintenance and compliance works. These will include improvements to fire safety systems, repairs to utilities and water tanks, reinstatement of functional kitchen and toilet facilities, maintenance of car parks and grounds, and the removal of redundant cabins.
Nottinghamshire County Council leader Mick Barton said the council was taking a common-sense approach in light of LGR.
“County Hall is an iconic building and been the home of this council since the 1950s, he said.
“With its prominent location and good transport links, we know this building is highly likely to be needed as a HQ for one of the new authorities when the time comes. It makes no sense to move out and sell this building, as we prepare for one of the biggest shake-ups in local government for a generation.
“We are taking a practical approach by preparing for the future needs of these new authorities.
“In the meanwhile, we do need to make some urgent repairs and so that County Hall can remain a functional building.”
Oak House became operational in May 2025 and is home of the Customer Services Centre and The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). Both teams were previously in rented accommodation. It continues to host Full Council meetings, where all 66 members travel from across the county to take part, as well as other council meetings.
The energy-efficient building, which is located in Gedling borough, was originally designed to be the home of these two front-line services. Designs were updated in 2023 to include a council chamber, when it was decided that the building should also become the corporate HQ.
