Changes to Building Access and Sign-In Arrangements – County Hall
20 hours ago
We are introducing changes to building access and sign-in arrangements at County Hall to improve security, visitor management and fire safety procedures.
Access to the Building
In the coming weeks, access to County Hall will be restricted to:
The main front entrance, and
The level-access entrance (available before 8:45am or for those with mobility requirements). The level-access entrance is located at the North-East corner of the building as shown in the below image:
Side doors will no longer be available for general access and will only release in the event of a fire alarm activation.
Sign-In Process (Interim Arrangements)
An electronic sign-in system will be introduced. This will apply to all building users, including staff and visitors.
Tablets (iPads) will be located near entrances and within corridors
All staff must sign in on arrival and sign out when leaving
Visitors will also be registered using this system
Additional devices will be installed to help reduce congestion at busy times
An accessible device will be provided on the lower floor inside the level-access entrance, with support available via reception if needed
This system will support fire evacuation procedures by helping us understand who is in the building, and contribute to better security controls in advance of changes to the law in relation to public access buildings. Therefore, it is imperative that all staff and visitors adhere to the new arrangements.
Future Arrangements
In the very near future we are moving to a new access control system across all corporate administrative buildings, which will:
Use staff ID cards to record entry and exit automatically
Improve building security and emergency response
The sign-in app will then no longer be required for staff (as the new ID card system will cater for staff access management) but will remain in place at County Hall for visitor management only, as there will always be a need to register non-staff. Other corporate buildings with high numbers of non-staff visitors may also be suited to the sign-in app visitor management system.
Next Steps
The go-live date for the change has been confirmed as the 14 September 2026.
If you have any queries, please contact Sonia Qualters-Jones.
Thank you for your cooperation.