CUMBRIA County Council’s 70 staff currently based at the offices on Friargate in Penrith are due to move into their new premises from early November.

Teams based within the council’s Adult and Local Services directorate will relocate to a refurbished building at the Skirsgill Highways Depot on the outskirts of Penrith, whilst Children’s Services teams will move to nearby Barnardo’s Children’s Centre on Old London Road.

The office moves are part of the county council’s Better Places for Work programme which includes a major review and rationalisation of the council’s property portfolio to generate savings at the same time as encouraging more flexible working opportunities for staff.

The government is taking a big bite out of the county council’s budget as part of its efforts to balance the nation’s books and accelerating the Better Places for Work programme is one proposition in the organisation’s budget savings consultation Our Area, Our Future which is available online www.cumbria.gov.uk/ourfuture Coun David Southward, Cumbria County Council’s Cabinet Member for Property, said: “The council has leased the office on Friargate for many years where as we own the buildings on the Skirsgill site so it makes good sense for us to move our teams into the space that we now have available to us.

“The nature of some of the work the teams in Penrith do, mean that they need space to meet with their customers in convenient locations. We are therefore creating space within Penrith Library and the Children’s Centre in the town centre so that this can continue with minimal disruption for the public.”

All contact numbers remain the same.

Adult and Local Services are contactable on: Eden West 01768 812243/812233 Eden South 01768 812089/812231 Eden North 01768 812241/812253 Out of Hours 01228 526690 Children's Services Eden Child and Family Support Team are contactable on: 01768 812116.