Stafford Borough Council considers buying Civic Centre
Stafford Borough Council is considering buying its own civic offices and the leader has said the move could save taxpayers’ money in the long run.
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Currently the authority rents its Civic Centre in Riverside and the building has a lease with more than 50 years left to run.
But it is subject to reviews which could increase the rent.
And council leader Aidan Godfrey has said the authority does not want taxpayers to face unnecessary costs it would have no control over in the future.
On Thursday, November 7, the council’s cabinet considered a proposal to buy the Civic Centre.
The discussion took place behind closed doors due to commercial sensitivities, but the cabinet has agreed to recommend the purchase of the building to the full council.
Councillor Godfrey said: “We will be looking very closely at the figures to see if purchasing this building is the right thing to do. Any decision we make will be based on investing in the future.
“We want to protect taxpayers’ money and if we were to own the building we would be able to bid for investment that will improve the carbon footprint of the Civic Centre, which would mean better energy efficiency and therefore see a reduction in long-term running costs.”
The four-storey Civic Centre was built in the 1970s, following the creation of the current borough council during the 1974 local government reorganisation.
The building, which has its own multi-storey car park, also currently houses other organisations including NHS services.
