Following this weeks news that Penrith Town Hall will close in June with staff relocating to Voreda House and the town hall vacated by the council Westmorland and Furness Council are now set to close County Hall.
Westmorland and Furness Cabinet members at a meeting to be held in Alston on the 4th of June will be asked to agree to the closure of County Hall, in Kendal for its current purpose from the 30th September 2024.
The future of County Hall will then be reviewed by the council and be subject to a separate decision on its long-term future.
As part of an asset assurance review carried out by the council, significant risk was identified in December 2023 with County Hall. A five yearly electrical test, which is a statutory requirement, revealed that the electrical systems within County Hall are unsatisfactory.
The council received a series of recommendations to make the building compliant that would lead to the need for the building to be re-wired including the need for new component parts to the electrical system.
For the council to carry out the work to require County Hall would require significant alterations to be made to the listed building, some of which would also require Listed Building Consent to carry out the work.
Alongside the electrical issues, the buildings central heating Management System has also failed and requires replacement alongside the boilers that have been repaired but need to be replaced within the next year.
County Hall has been valued for the council at a market value of in excess of £1.4m but refurbishing County Hall will require the council to approve investment of approximately £7.4m that will form part of any future decision on County Hall by the council.
A council officer said “The building has potentially now passed a key point where all indicators point to a building that is physically, functionally, environmentally and economically obsolete.”
County Hall is currently used to hold various council meeting including the full council meetings with all 65 Westmorland and Furness Council members along with officers, press and public. Along side approximately 50 staff based in the building and the Cumbria Archives service.
It is expected that the full council meeting at County Hall up to September 2024 will still be held in the council chamber at County Hall, but alternative arrangements may be required following the closure until suitable Council premises are available to hold full council meetings in.
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