The company has remodelled 145,500 square feet of space at the council’s Civic Offices by consolidating two office buildings into one to meet the council’s need for a modern-day working requirement.

It will now be home to 1,650 employees, including many teams who provide face-to-face services to customers. They will benefit from newly configured work space alongside improved lighting and upgrades to the M&E, ceilings, flooring and doors. The upgrade also sees the creation of an 80-seat celebration space for the MK Register Office, allowing weddings and other ceremonies.

Capital development manager for Milton Keynes Council, Glenn Oldfield, said: “The modernised building gives us more opportunities for flexible and agile working, and having more teams under one roof will give us other opportunities to work more efficiently. The building has been built to a high standard and we’re delighted with the way it has come together.”

Procured through Major Works England and Northern Ireland, part of Scape’s National Construction framework, it is the latest in a series of projects delivered for Milton Keynes Council over the past four years. Past work has seen the company deliver three new schools, the Brooklands Health Centre and the Milton Keynes Museum.

A key priority for the Council has been adding community benefits with a raft of initiatives worth £8m to improve life opportunities.

This includes supporting over 100 NVQ qualifications and 20 new traineeships for local people as part of the Community Learning MK scheme. Willmott Dixon has also created Hazard Alley, a mock site office and construction site designed to show local school children the potential dangers on site and how Willmott Dixon’s people protect themselves and stay safe.

A further success was in helping a former labourer and Milton Keynes resident, Larry Bolah, launch a labour agency, SilverBack Labour, after he identified a need for a high-quality labour agency while working on one of Willmott Dixon’s sites.

Peter Owen, managing director, Willmott Dixon, said: “It was important that we were able to create a suitable home for Milton Keynes Council as it looked to futureproof its working environment and we’re proud of the work we have completed at the Civic Offices.

“We’ve received some great feedback on the quality of the space, and the way it has been designed has made for a flexible home for the council as it moves forward. It’s satisfying that this project has helped local people pick up a number of new skills as well.”

Victoria Brambini, Managing Director at Scape Procure, commented: “It’s great to continue the partnering approach between the Council and Willmott Dixon through the Scape frameworks, with this project creating a more efficient and productive working environment for the incredibly hard working council teams; a better working space will help them in shaping and delivering better public services for their communities.

“Our National Construction framework has been developed to ensure the creation of social value throughout, and beyond, the lifetime of the project with the provision of training and employment opportunities and engagement with the local community. With the formation of a new labour agency the project will benefit the local economy for years to come.”