Price of controversial council office revealed

3 hours ago

Anttoni James NumminenLocal Democracy Reporting Service

The council says buying Resolution House will save money on repairs at the Malton and Scarborough offices

LDRS A large round council building with a large car park surrounded by green spaces and trees — The council says buying Resolution House will save money on repairs at the Malton and Scarborough offices

The price of a new multimillion-pound council office building has been revealed after controversy over its cost and location.

North Yorkshire Council has said it spent £3m purchasing Resolution House in Scarborough, which was marketed with a guide price of £4.5m.

The first staff members moved into the building last week, with additional teams set to relocate over the coming months, after the council decided to move workers out of offices in Scarborough and Malton.

The council said the new building by the A64 – purchased from Anglo American – would avoid up to £19m of costs to upgrade "appalling working conditions" at the ageing Scarborough Town Hall.

Scarborough town mayor Thomas Murray says the town hall has historic value

Anttoni James Numminen A man in a grey suit with a light blue shirt and tie stands in a council room next to a clock — Scarborough town mayor Thomas Murray says the town hall has historic value

Town mayor of Scarborough Thomas Murray said the decision was "an example of a deeply centralised model of local government that simply is not working for communities across North Yorkshire".

"Scarborough's historic Town Hall is not just another office block to be quietly written off from Northallerton," he said.

"It is an important part of our town's heritage and civic identity, and I sincerely hope North Yorkshire Council will work constructively with the Town Council to secure its long-term future."

NYC said customer access points would be created in Scarborough and Malton as part of the plan, to allow residents to access services.

If agreed, it is hoped they will open by April next year, a spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Campaigners say the purchase of Resolution House is a waste of money

Anttoni James Numminen Two women with cardboard signs and a megaphone stand outside a council building — Campaigners say the purchase of Resolution House is a waste of money

But critics have said moving the council's operations out of town centres would impact businesses.

Michelle Richardson, a member of the United Scarborough Residents Action Group, said she was "extremely disappointed and annoyed" with the purchase of Resolution House.

"At this stage we believe that our public finances have been outlaid in yet another unnecessary gamble, on a building completely in the wrong location for a greater percentage of the Scarborough population."

No decision has been made regarding the future of Scarborough Town Hall but Malton's Ryedale House office will be sold to make way for housing, the council said.

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