Surrey County Council HQ to move to Woking

Last week, Surrey County Council announced it is intending to move County Hall from Kingston to Woking.

The County Council has been looking to move out of its current home for sometime and has now selected Midas House in Woking as its preferred new headquarters.

The current County Hall is expensive to run, not fit for purpose and not in Surrey. However, the Council is only moving its Civic Heart to Midas House - only Councillors, the senior leadership team and some other staff will be based at Midas House. Other staff currently based at County Hall will be relocated to offices in Leatherhead, Guildford and Reigate.

Lib Dem County Councillor for Woking South, Will Forster, said: "I am pleased that Surrey County Council is planning to move to Woking, it will be a good boost for the town's economy and reputation. If the County Council is based in Woking, it might even start to address our local infrastructure issues!"

"As Chairman of the Council's Task Group responsible for scrutinising this move, yesterday's announcement is only the beginning, there is a lot of work to do before the County Council moves to Woking and sells County Hall. These plans need scrutinising to ensure they are value for money."

"The Council has tried to move to Woking before, namely to Brewery Road in Horsell, and the plans were a costly mistake. The infamous Northamptonshire County Council moved to a new headquarters just before they declared themselves bankrupt. So moving brings risks, which is why scrutiny of this proposed move is key - but I am hopeful that the County Council can sell County Hall for a significant amount of money that will more than cover the cost of buying and moving into Midas House."