£100,000 cost of keeping Stafford's Shire Hall open revealed

The authority had said it planned to come to a conclusion on the future of the Grade II-listed Shire Hall last month.

But the building's future, which contains Stafford's historic courtroom, will only become clearer at a meeting later this month.

Last September the council announced it wanted to move its arts services from the building by the start of April 2017, but made a U-turn a month later.

And in December campaigners against the arts services leaving the building handed over a petition signed by more than 3,000 people.

They worry the building will shut if the council changes its responsibilities there.

The authority has budgeted £100,000 for utilities to keep the Shire Hall open until a decision on its future is made. Nearly 77,000 people visited in 2015.

Ian Parry, Staffordshire County Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and corporate matters, said: "Under the original proposals to restructure the arts service, the Shire Hall would have been vacated by the beginning of the 2017/18 financial year.

"As that restructuring hasn't taken place, a sum has been allocated to cover the continuing costs of gas, water, electricity, heating and so on."

The University of Wolverhampton has already said it will move out of the building and has submitted planning permission to move across Stafford into Staffordshire County Council's flagship Staffordshire Place headquarters.

Stafford's library was also based in the Shire Hall but moved in 2015 to Staffordshire Place.

Speaking to the Express & Star last year Councillor Parry said the Shire Hall would be 'too complex' to sell.

Councillor Parry said: "To get that building into really vibrant public use, which I think it could be and it will take quite some time for us to get there, would be the real long-term aim."

The cabinet meeting will be held on February 15.