The new City Hall building in east London is finally set to open following months of delays, a source has confirmed.
Greater London Authority (GLA) staff have been informed that they will be able to fully move into the building formerly known as The Crystal on the Royal Docks from today (March 21) following the completion of construction work.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan first announced plans to relocate City Hall to east London in November 2020 in a bid to save more than £60 million over five years.
But the move has been delayed four times due to ongoing construction work – having originally been scheduled for November 2021.
Read more: Sadiq Khan confirms City Hall will move to Newham
The disaster-laden relocation descended further into farce last month when staff were told that the building was still yet to be finished just four days before they were supposed to move in.
GLA staff have been temporarily working from London Fire Brigade headquarters on Union Street, while the new unfinished City Hall has been used to host several large set-piece London Assembly meetings attended by Sadiq Khan.
Many members of GLA staff, which includes London Assembly members and civil servants working for Sadiq Khan, have privately expressed their unhappiness at the move from the iconic former City Hall building near Tower Bridge.
Susan Hall, leader of the City Hall Conservatives, said last week: “Much like the ‘boy who cried wolf’, Sadiq Khan has cried ‘City Hall!’ so many times I don’t know what to believe anymore. We are apparently moving in Monday, but haven’t we heard that before.”
Ms Hall also expressed concerns that the series of setbacks to the move will have eaten into the supposed £60 million savings outlined by Sadiq Khan.
She said: “We are very interested to know how much these delays have cost us in monetary terms, the unsettled nature of ‘camping out’ at various locations, including being kicked out of our new home on several occasions has had a significant impact on scrutiny. We will be investigating the mayor’s savings claims and will be very interested to see how much the move actually cost.”
https://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/20010066.move-date-city-hall-replacement-crystal-today/
