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| ‘DESPERATE' CASH PLAN |
Council chiefs to sell off
historic building and move out
WESTMINSTER City Council stands to make tens of millions of pounds
as it prepares to move out of its two main offices.
The council not only wants to sell the historic Council House in
Marylebone Road, it also wants to leave its main centre – City
Hall in Victoria Street. But the Labour opposition has accused the
council of being being desperate to make money to cope with the
“cash crisis” caused by the collapse in revenue following
the reduction in the numbers of parking tickets issued.
The council’s finance scrutiny committee is meeting on Tuesday
to discuss their plans.
In the report council officers have outlined a series of reasons
why they want to move from the Council House including asbestos
release. It says: “The condition of Council House has long
given cause for concern. The building has for some time had an uncertain
long-term future and accordingly capital expenditure has been limited.
“Incidents such as asbestos release in a storeroom in 2003,
and persistent difficulties in maintaining heating and other services,
are the visible signs of a wider list of problems.”
It adds: “The short term plan to vacate Council House is likely
to be achievable by the end of 2005... it may be that the better
long term option is to vacate Council House and sell the building.”
On the open market the listed building could fetch tens of millions
of pounds.
And Westminster Council wants to leave City Hall for a smaller office
building over the next six years. The current lease expires in 2006.
The report says: “Overall the likelihood is, that on a medium
term horizon of say four and six years, the City Council will not
need a building, in the south of the city, the size of City Hall.”
But this is despite complaints earlier in the report saying that
meeting rooms were “a constant cause of concern”.
Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, the leader of Westminster’s Labour
group, said: “The council have been neglecting the condition
of the Council House for years and it would need a huge amount of
work to improve it but they don’t have the money.
“Selling it is becoming more and more likely.”
He added: “What they (the council) are doing is giving more
and more work to Vertex (the private company managing the customer
services contract) and relocating staff out of South East.
“The whole thing is because of the desperate need to keep council
tax low and it is in a terrible cash crisis because of the reduction
in parking revenue.”
But Cllr Colin Barrow, the deputy leader of Westminster Council
and cabinet member for finance, accused the opposition of “mischief
making”.
He said: “You would expect that we keep all of the council’s
assets under review at all times.
“Our operations keep changing and so do offices.
“There is quite a lot of documents and files stored at City
Hall but if that was kept electronically, actually we can free up
a bit of space.”
He added that there were no concrete plans yet.
He said: “There is no specific plan to sell either but we will
keep the whole situation under review.” |
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