Trinity House, Bath Street, St. Helier: Lease of Accomodation for the Jersey Advisory Board and Conciliation Service

TRINITY HOUSE, BATH STREET, ST. HELIER: LEASE OF ACCOMMODATION FOR THE JERSEY ADVISORY AND CONCILIATION SERVICE

_______________

Lodged au Greffe on 7th November 2000

by the Employment and Social Security Committee

______________________________

STATES OF JERSEY

STATES GREFFE

180             2 0 0 0   P . 1 9 3          

Price code: A

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion -

  (a ) to approve the leasing by the public from Alanrod Investments Limited of 1,200 square feet of third floor

office space at Trinity House, Bath Street, St Helier, for the purpose of accommodating the Jersey Advisory and Conciliation Service, for a period of nine years commencing on 1st December 2000, with the option for the lessee to terminate the lease at the end of the sixth year, at an initial annual rental of £21,600 to be reviewed at three-yearly intervals to open market rental value, and a proportion of the service charge for the communal areas, insurance, repair and maintenance of the property and of the management charges and each party being responsible for its own legal fees in relation to this transaction;

(b ) to authorise the Greffier of the States to sign the lease on behalf of the public, and; (c ) to authorise the Treasurer of the States to pay the rent as it becomes due.

EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY COMMITTEE

Note: T he Finance and Economics Committee supports the lease of this property on the terms recommended.

Report

On 10th November 1998 the Minimum Wage Report and Proposition Projet (P.227/98) was lodged au Greffe, and was approved by the States Assembly in March 1999. Included in the Proposition was a proposal to establish a new Advisory and Conciliation Service for the Island, which was accepted by the States. The new service, to be known as JACS, will form part of the supporting framework to the new employment legislation to be introduced by the Employment and Social Security Committee. The current Industrial Relations Advisory Service will, in due course, be amalgamated into JACS. This latter Department currently occupies offices within 15 Broad Street, but these offices are now required by the Postal Committee and, as such, notice has been served on the tenant requiring vacant possession by 1st January 2001.

In the long term, JACS is to be established as an independent legal body but in the meantime the Employment and Social Security Committee has agreed to take out a lease in its name. Once the necessary legislation is in place, the lease will be assigned to JACS as an independent body.

Having agreed the office requirement for JACS, two properties within the States' Committee administration, a 1,000 square feet office suite within Axminster House and a 1,500 square feet office suite within Broadcasting House were considered. It was agreed that the Axminster House accommodation was too small. The Broadcasting House suite on the other hand was considered not to be conveniently situated or central enough to provide the facilities that JACS requires. There were no other States' owned premises available for consideration at the time.

An  office suite  has  now  been  identified on  the  third  floor of   Trinity  House,  Bath  Street,  St Helier.  The  property  is approximately 20 years old and is owned by the Bailhache Trust, which is administered by the States Treasury. The lease is for an area on the third floor comprising approximately 1,200 square feet of refurbished office. The property is in a central location for ease of access, and adequate public car parking is available close by. A lift is also available to provide disabled access. Terms and conditions have been agreed for a nine-year lease commencing on 1st December 2000 at an initial rental of £21,600 per year. The rental shall be reviewed every three years to Open Market Value and the lessee has the right to break the lease at the sixth anniversary.