Babergh will not be returning to its own district if councillors accept a report recommending them staying in Ipswich.

Babergh, and neighbouring Mid Suffolk, council are set to significantly reduce their floorspace in their Ipswich offices, but are opting not to return their authorities to the districts.

The two separate sovereign councils share a workforce, and in late 2017 closed their district offices in Hadleigh and Needham Market to occupy two floorplates in Ipswich's Endeavour House, the headquarters of Suffolk County Council.

That was part of cost-cutting measures and allowed the shared workforce to be allied in one space, but divided opinion with some councillors raising concerns over not being in their districts to serve communities best.

Papers published for the two councils' cabinet meetings next week has revealed that the authorities are being recommended to reconfigure their Endeavour House space so that they can hand back one floorplate in time for the 2022 five-year break clause on the 10-year lease.

The report says that working practices have changed since the first Covid-19 lockdown which meant more agile working is now possible.

A spokesperson for the two councils said: "This project isn't simply about changing our office around. It's about our culture, and the environment, tools, systems and policies we need in future in order to meet the needs of our employees, and deliver the most effective and efficient services for our residents.

"As a shared workforce we have already gone some way in embracing flexible, agile working which put us in good stead to continue providing essential services to our residents while working remotely during the pandemic.

"Now, in common with many private and public sector employers, we're looking at how we can create a fit-for-purpose workspace to suit a more hybrid way of working.

"The proposal has been shaped by staff feedback, with our workforce telling us they don't want, or need, to attend the workplace every day, but still need a physical office so they can collaborate with colleagues. So we have incorporated data around office use pre and post-lockdown and also sought feedback from staff and councillor working groups to produce a plan to reduce and reconfigure our existing offices.

"The project would see a net saving for the councils – but more importantly, provide enough workspace for our staff, redesigned to allow more collaborative working and meeting spaces to support an agile way of working."

If plans are approved, the revamped workspace is set to be completed by September.

Published figures indicate it would deliver savings of £676,000 (£338,000 for each council).

One option is for a total move out of Endeavour House, which could put the authorities back in their respective districts, but the council report said: "Relocating to other premises at this time is not viable."

It continued: "There are very few buildings across the county that would be able to provide shared services and spaces similar to those we use at Endeavour House and as such it is likely that relocating would increase our space requirements and costs."

The authority said it had customer access points in the districts, while having joint space had delivered savings and greater opportunities for partnership working.

The opposition Green and Liberal Democrat group at Mid Suffolk raised concerns at the time of the original move, and have called for a "far more wide-ranging review to take account of both rapidly-expanded home working and the need for a better location, actually within the districts we are serving".

The group said a new waste and recycling depot in the Gateway 14 scheme could release the existing depot land close to Stowmarket rail station that could be turned into a smaller council hub.

Councillor Sarah Mansel, who was on the working group, said: "It is a pity that remaining at Endeavour House was the only option to be discussed. The financial savings of £338,000 are welcome but this should be spent on improving physical as well as digital access opportunities for our residents.

"We need more evidence that this proposal will work for all our staff, to know what the average employee thinks of the proposal. I would also question the statement that an Ipswich location is an advantage in retaining staff when we currently face a 17% vacancy level. We are in no doubt that basing more of our services back in the district would be welcomed by our residents."

When the two councils moved in 2017, plans to merge the two authorities had been ongoing which may also have been linked to office plans, but those stalled when unitary plans for Suffolk, which eventually did not progress, were first mooted.

In 2019 council leaders said merger plans had been taken off the agenda until at least 2023 after the next local elections.

*Former Babergh HQ delays caused by cricket net issues.