Civic Centre ProgrammeRoom 302, Brent Town HallForty Lane, WembleyMiddlesex, HA9 9HD

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www.brent.gov.ukREGENERATION & MAJOR PROJECTS Date 9

August 2011Director: XXXXXXX

Dr S AliXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dear Dr Ali

RE: Civic Centre Freedom of Information Request

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request of 14

July for information relating to certainaspects of the Civic Centre project. This has been passed to me for a response.You have requested “the data, evidential basis and calculations” to underpin the projectedsavings in relation to the Council’s move to the new Civic Centre. You refer to statements thatyou believe were made at the Wembley Area Consultative Forum on 12

July 2011.At the Wembley Area Consultative Forum a figure of £4m average cost saving per annum wasquoted. This is based on a combination of reduced costs in operating the Civic Centre and anincrease in income when compared to the current portfolio of 14 buildings, mainly rented ratherthan owned.When the building comes on stream, the Council will have two principle costs – the cost offinancing the debt and the cost of operating the building. These costs will be offset by incomefrom a number of sources including the sale of existing buildings and rental from renting spaceto third parties and commercial revenue generated through other activities. In all cases we haveprudent assumptions verified and challenged by external advisors.In the cases of both rental income from long term tenants at the Civic Centre, and from othershort term commercial income it would be imprudent of me to release detailed figures to you atthe current time as these are the subject of negotiations which may be prejudiced if they are inthe public domain. I am happy to confirm that we have an overall assumption of £1.25m builtinto the plan for income from these sources which we consider to be prudent.The reduction in operating costs and other efficiency savings have been calculated by theCouncil’s financial advisers. The projected general fund savings to the Council equate to £89mover the first 25 years of the project. This was the figure calculated in the most recent financialassessment of the project benefits and represents an average saving of £3.56m per year over25 years of the project. The average figure will vary each financial year as a result of a number