‘An an absolutely bungled operation’: Sadiq Khan postpones City Hall move
The move into London’s new City Hall has been postponed by Sadiq Khan, just four days before staff were due to move in.
London’s politicians and bureaucrats have been left floating between temporary offices and working from home, in a move which has been met with anger from the GLA Conservatives.
“This has been an absolutely bungled operation from start to finish. We were only told that the Crystal is not fit for occupation with two working days’ notice, with only the highest-profile meetings being held at the Crystal,” said GLA Conservatives leader Susan Hall.
“How can we trust the Mayor to run London when he can’t even organise an office move across London?”
Hall claimed that the move could end up costing us the equivalent of nearly two years rent if City Hall had remained where it was, though the final figures are not yet available.
The move to Crystal, London’s new City Hall by the Royal Docks, had previously been postponed by several months after it fell behind its building schedule.
A GLA spokesperson said: “The new City Hall will be holding next week’s Mayor’s Question Time and the Assembly Plenary meetings as planned.
“It is disappointing that some last-minute delays to the new City Hall’s building systems have delayed handover from our contractors.
“We are awaiting final confirmation on when these vital works will be completed, at which point we will confirm the move in date. It is still expected that staff will move into the building in the coming weeks, once the final preparations are complete.
“The move will save the GLA Group £61m over five years which will be used to help protect vital front-line services including in policing, the London Fire Brigade, and the capital’s transport network, as well as investing further in London’s economic recovery from the pandemic.”