Councillors have determined that the entire County Hall site should now be marketed for sale, opting not to give every county councillor a say on the decision.

Plans to move democratic meetings to the council's Stevenage campus – and to market the entire County Hall site for sale – had been paused, following a challenge from Opposition councillors.

But on Monday (July 21), members of the council's nine-strong cabinet were asked to consider the move a second time.

And at that meeting, they decided to push ahead – rejecting calls for a meeting of the full council to be allowed to make the final decision.

As a result, a new council chamber and meeting room will now be constructed at the council's Stevenage campus to accommodate the meetings.

And the council will seek to market the entire County Hall site – part of which has been marketed for employment use for some time – for "alternative uses".

At the meeting, councillors were presented with data detailing the relative costs of moving democratic meetings to Stevenage – or continuing to hold them at County Hall, in Hertford.

According to that data, retaining the Grade II listed front section of County Hall – which includes the council chamber – would require capital investment of £9.7m and annual running costs of £2.3m.

By comparison, the capital cost of relocating meeting facilities to Stevenage, according to the data, would be around £730k.

And, it suggests that with the facilities based within the council's own buildings, there would be no additional running costs.

In backing the proposal at the meeting, Liberal Democrat leader of the county council Cllr Steve Jarvis focused on the cost savings identified in the report.

"I think it's important to note that there are some very significant cost savings to the county council, as a result of the proposal to stop using this building a few times a year for meetings," said Cllr Jarvis.

"And I understand that there will be those who are saddened to be leaving a building that the county council has occupied for many years.

"But – particularly in light of the latest government announcements about what happens to our funding – I think it is quite clear that we cannot continue to keep buildings that are enormously under-occupied and that we don't need, where the facilities could be provided in buildings that we already own and have sufficient space to enable the council to operate at a lower cost.

"And I find it difficult to believe that many citizens of Hertfordshire would prefer us to spend money on maintaining a separate presence here for council meetings, rather than spending that money on services that would support them in their lives."

As well as the financial case for the move, councillors have previously pointed to advantages in terms of sustainability and accessibility.

And they have stressed that bringing democratic meetings closer to the council's core operations, in Stevenage, would reduce the time and cost of ferrying officers and equipment between sites and the impact on the environment.

Although the cabinet initially decided in June. The proposals were paused after the decision was challenged by Opposition councillors.

As a result, the decision was 'called-in' by the council's overview and scrutiny committee earlier this month.

And that committee determined that the decision should be reconsidered by cabinet, with additional financial information.

There was also a request by some members of the committee that the recommendations be put to full council.

As a result, data presented to the cabinet meeting on Monday broke down the estimated costs of retaining the Grade II-listed front section of County Hall, in addition to other financial data.

Capital costs, according to the report, would include new ventilation and heating systems, as well as the replacement of fluorescent lighting and hot and cold water supplies.

It would also include a new fire alarm and new IT infrastructure, as well as a new external ramp and platform lift to meet DDA requirements.

Meanwhile, the report also suggested lost potential income from filming and possible weddings at the County Hall site is estimated at around £270,738.

By comparison, the report suggests the capital cost of relocating meeting facilities to Stevenage would be around £730k.

But with the facilities based within the council's buildings, it suggests there would be no additional running costs.

At the meeting, Cllr Jarvis thanked the overview and scrutiny committee for "looking very thoroughly at the process and suggesting that some extra information might be provided that we are all now in receipt of".

And commenting on the suggestion, the decision should be taken by a meeting of the full council, he said: "I think the overview and scrutiny committee was quite clear.

"There was a vote taken; they decided the decision should be taken by cabinet."

Following the meeting, executive member for resources and performance Cllr Chris Lucas said: "We have not taken this decision lightly and we welcome the feedback that has come from interested parties along with the views of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

"However, if we are to deliver on our pledges to make ourselves more efficient while improving services, we must be prepared to embrace change that will bring benefits to all through the investment of any receipts back into the services we deliver.

"By looking at how we can best use our assets, particularly those that are not fully utilised, we can reduce the need for borrowing, allowing us to invest in our vital services and deliver on our vision for a better Hertfordshire."