Wirral Council has revealed it is £8m behind on repairs to one of its historic town halls as new photos show water damage inside the building.
A survey of the condition of Wallasey Town Hall revealed millions of pounds is outstanding in recommended repairs and improvements over a period of up to a decade.
The figures were confirmed as part of a capital programme report on funding for building projects until 2028 including the new Birkenhead Market and new Wirral Waters freeport.
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Wirral Council’s capital budget, which goes towards the construction of new buildings, facilities, and roads, is separate from its revenue budget which funds services as well as the running of the council.
Problems with the historic Town Hall include the condition of windows, flooring, roofing, ventilation, heating and electrical wiring. A report said the funding would come from around £4m available through health and safety funds.
A council report said: “Due to the Grade II listed status of the building, which was built in 1914, every effort must be made to preserve the asset in accordance with its listed status and for which planning permission is required.
“It would be the intention to address those elements of building and services improvements based on the detailed survey reports. Elements such as electrical and mechanical are best undertaken whilst the building is empty due to the disruptive nature of the works.”
This comes as the building is expected to be closed for a year if councillors approve a proposal to cut off the heating from April in the next financial year’s budget.
This would save the council £400,000 in utilities and running costs while two annexe buildings are demolished.
Explaining the proposal to close the town hall, council leader Janette Williamson said: “It’s a beautiful old building, and one that we will keep in public hands, but with no way of heating just the spaces being used it was costing a third of a million pounds a year for a handful of council and officer meetings.
“We are working on plans to reopen it not just for us to hold meetings but for the public to use again allowing everyone to enjoy the jewel in Wallasey and Seacombe’s crown. For one year, while extensive building work is taking place, we will use that money to keep cherished services running.”
To fund several building projects until 2028, the council will be borrowing an additional £61m. The debt will then be charged to its budget for services with this expected to be more than £2m by 2027, peaking at £2.25m in 2030.
A further £28m is proposed to be spent on the new Birkenhead Market in the old House of Fraser building, while £3.5m is earmarked for new IT and computer equipment.
For the market, £14m has already been secured through government funding with the rest expected to come from the partly-owned Wirral Growth Company.
Wirral Council hopes the market will become an “anchor” in helping bring people back into Birkenhead, adding “it is vital that the council continue to make improvements, so the market is best placed to take advantage of significant longer-term changes.”
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