Centuries of tradition ‘would be lost’ if council quits Guildhall

A watershed in the way that York Council operates is due to see the authority switch its operations to the new base at West Offices, which is the city’s original railway station and station hotel.

Senior councillors on the Labour-run administration have admitted the council cannot afford to maintain the Guildhall amid predictions that up to £800,000 will need to be spent on the Grade I listed building’s repairs over the next five years.

But opposition Conservative councillors have now launched a formal challenge to the relocation of services to West Offices after calling in the proposals.

The planned relocation will be debated by the council’s scrutiny management committee on Monday next week after Coun John Galvin and his Tory colleagues, Chris Steward and George Barton, raised concerns over the plans.

They have claimed that not enough options have been considered and the scale of the proposed changes warrant a debate before full council.

Coun Galvin, the scrutiny management committee’s chairman, also stressed a move away from the Guildhall complex would eradicate civic tradition stretching back centuries.

He said: “The historical links to a building are, in my opinion, as important as maintaining the actual fabric of the building. The area around the Guildhall complex has served the city since the 1600s, and it has a very important part in York’s municipal history. I want that to be maintained for future generations and ensure the Guildhall complex remains part and parcel of the city’s civic purpose.”

The council’s cabinet member for corporate services, Coun Julie Gunnell, claimed the relocation of civic services was vital to ensure the long-term future of the building. She also stressed the authority’s constitution dictated the decision could be taken by the cabinet, rather than full council.

She added: “The building’s future will remain in council ownership, but critically will finally get the investment it so desperately needs.”

However, Coun Galvin urged the Labour administration to reconsider the plans and ensure that the heart of the city’s democracy remains at the Guildhall.

While the current proposals would ensure that full council meetings continue to be held in the Guildhall, Coun Galvin maintained all council meetings should take place there.

He said chief executive Kersten England and the council’s democratic services should remain based in the Guildhall, although other departments should be switched to West Offices.

Under the current proposals, it is hoped the relocation will allow the Guildhall to become a focal point for the city as a leading venue.

Options which are also being considered include renting out office space for start-up businesses to help boost York’s economy in the wake of the recession. But Coun Galvin said the council should investigate whether it could borrow the money needed for repairs to the Guildhall and then offset repayments by income generated from renting out office space to the private sector.

The Yorkshire Post revealed last month that plans were being drawn up over the future of the Guildhall, which is a restoration of the 15th century Commonhall that was almost totally destroyed by an air raid in 1942.

The council’s existing set-up, with offices scattered throughout the city, has sapped finances as half of its premises are leased and rents swallow up £1m a year.

The overall project is costing £43.8m and will see West Offices transformed into the new headquarters.

The building is expected to be ready in September, with a phased move of staff and services up until early 2013.

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