More Fife Council buildings could go as staff increasingly work from home

Fife Council is considering offloading more of its buildings amid a spike in the number of staff working from home.

The use of offices, leisure and community buildings could all fall under the spotlight in the coming year as officers study how well-used they are.

The move follows the disposal of other high-value assets, including the six-storey Rothesay House in Glenrothes where demolition is under way.

Surveys of remaining council offices this year found they are dramatically underused.

Fewer than a quarter of the desks at Cupar County Buildings are occupied in an average week.

And the most-used office – Buckhaven Burgh Chambers – is just 64% full.

Property services manager Alan Paul says: “It’s a sizeable portfolio which incurs a significant cost to the council.

“It is therefore important there is effective management and a focus on cost reduction and increased effectiveness.”

Other organisations could rent offices

Fife Council owns more than 1,700 buildings, not including houses.

In all, that’s almost a million square feet of property, valued at £2.5 billion.

Further usage surveys will be carried out before decisions are made on what can be sold or demolished.

Options also include renting office space to other organisations.

NHS Fife, Nature Scot and the police already use council buildings in Glenrothes, Cupar and Cowdenbeath.

And Visit Scotland and Scottish Water have also expressed an interest.

Fife is not alone, with Angus Council considering selling its Forfar HQ.

Thirty empty council buildings

Thirty council buildings in Fife are currently vacant.

They include former primary schools and local offices, community centres, public toilets, shops and a pub.

Other offices have already been disposed of, including Rothesay House and New City House in Dunfermline.

St Andrews local office sold for £2.5m and Methilhaven Care Home in Methil was demolished.

Meanwhile, both Woodmill and St Columba’s high schools in Dunfermline are earmarked for the wrecking ball after pupils decanted to a new joint campus this week.