Work to identify an unexplained electrical fault at Angus Council’s HQ has gone on for nearly 70 days, with no sign of any solution.
The council says temporary offices have been set up at Orchardbank and Ravenswood in Forfar and Brechin Business Centre, plus smaller service outlets in other burghs. Departments have all been evicted from their usual base, causing major upheaval.
Melted power points, a recurring smell of burning, unwanted fire alarm call-outs and computer system gremlins are just some of the issues staff have had to deal with over 10 weeks.
Problems began on February 18 and unsuccessful repairs were attempted, disrupting the planning service computers and email system. Later that month alternative arrangements were made to provide IT services and several staff members were moved to other buildings.
On March 11 the council powered down the entire system for the weekend to try to avoid a major staff decant operation.
Two weeks later, The Courier revealed a fire alarm fault had been plaguing employees and Tayside Fire and Rescue for three weeks, with staff being evacuated from the premises, up to two or three times a day.
In late March the council claimed the building was set to return to mains supply, but the technical fault was far from sorted.
On April 15, 180 staff were relocated in “immediate action” after an officer saw a power point melting and flames coming from the wall socket. And, nearly two weeks on from that incident, the council seems no nearer identifying the cause of the catalogue of mayhem.
A council spokesperson said, “Last week around 160 staff relocated from County Buildings to temporary offices, mostly at the council’s Orchardbank campus in Forfar, with some teams also at Ravenswood in Forfar and Brechin Business Centre, as well as service offices in other burghs.
“The affected roads, planning, transport, environmental and consumer protection and economic development teams can be contacted at the usual phone numbers and email addresses or via ACCESS Line on 08452 777 778.
“Work continues to identify and rectify the problems at County Buildings.”
In a statement, council chief executive Richard Stiff referred to “a thorny problem colleagues are grappling with” and praised the helpful attitude of staff affected by the upheaval, both those displaced from County Buildings and those who were hosting them.