Shared aim at Studios

Jul 15 2008 by Karen McLauchlan, Evening Gazette

THE Studios, at Darlington’s Lingfield Point business park, will be the new base for a ground-breaking partnership between Darlington and Stockton councils.

Xentrall Shared Services will supply information and communications technologies (ICT), design and print, transactional HR and transactional finance services to the two councils.

The ICT will be delivered from The Studios and around 100 staff will move into the new office later this year.

Xentrall was established to respond to the growing pressures on local authorities to make savings, and both councils recognised by working together it would be possible to be more financially efficient, improve services and share best practice.

Lingfield Point has redeveloped the old Paton and Baldwin’s wool factory site off Darlington’s McMullen Road.

The Studios have been created from an existing building originally used as the wool factory’s medical centre and was later converted into a recording studio.

Xentrall Shared Services has taken just over 10,000sq ft of office space. Marchday, which acquired Lingfield Point 10 years ago, will submit a planning application shortly to complete the rejuvenation.

Sue Reay, Xentrall Shared Services manager, said: “We are extremely pleased to be in The Studios, which is a fresh, modern building.”