Chief to present case for move out of crumbling town hall

Scarborough Borough Council’s most senior civil servant, Jim Dillon, will appear at a meeting which will be held tomorrow evening to set out the reasons behind the proposed move.

The council is considering relocating from the grade II listed building on St Nicholas Street, which it has occupied for more than a century, to the former Scarborough Building Society headquarters at Prospect House.

Senior council officials have stressed the move will pave the way for the regeneration of the Town Hall as well as the surrounding district including King Street and the Futurist Theatre site.

But opponents have warned that a move away from the Town Hall could leave a major question mark hanging over such a key site amid the economic downturn. The council’s head of finance and asset management, Nicholas Edwards, urged the public to put forward their views in a consultation which is due to finish on May 30.

He added: “The Town Hall relocation is a key decision for the borough and the council has been holding extensive consultation with residents and businesses. This meeting is the last chance for the public to get together to see why the council is suggesting a move to new premises.

“The chief executive will be holding a factual presentation which will then be followed by a forum debate.”

The proposed move has been prompted as the council is faced with a soaring maintenance bill for its property portfolio while having to contend with major funding cutbacks. It is estimated that the maintenance costs of the authority’s buildings will be in the region of £5.8m over the next 25 years.

Council officers have warned that up to £2.6m needs to be spent over the next two years to maintain a minimum standard of accommodation. A further £1.7m would be needed to finance IT upgrades and a shift to electronic filing systems.

Mr Dillon will give his presentation to the meeting of the Scarborough Urban Area Forum in the ballroom at the Royal Hotel in St Nicholas Street tomorrow from 7pm.