Redcar and Cleveland Councillors turn up the heat over office closure plans
Councillors have turned up the heat on local authority plans to close Guisborough’s Belmont House office complex.
Councillor Bill Clarke suggested Redcar and Cleveland Council could have a problem if staff were put off from working at home because of hikes in energy bills and questioned the wisdom of the decision.
The council is to terminate a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract several years early, giving six months notice, and intends to put up Belmont House and the immediate land surrounding it off Rectory Lane, Guisborough, for sale or lease after approval was given by cabinet members.
Cllr Clarke, an independent who represents Guisborough on the borough council, said: “It’s always Guisborough – why not close Seafield House another council office block in Redcar?
“What happens to your disaster contingency plan if for example one of the other offices were struck by fire?
“The council now has a hybrid working from home policy, but with the energy crisis we are facing it is somewhat flawed as what happens if people say ‘I can’t afford to heat my home, I want to come back into the office’ – there is then nowhere else to house them?
“I would not be doing my duty properly if I didn’t try to protect Guisborough’s interests rather than what goes on in Redcar.
“I understand the logic in closing Belmont House, but with the difference in running costs and considering the size of Redcar and Cleveland as an organisation you could quite easily swallow that difference, but they won’t do that.”
Cllr Clarke told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he would “fight tooth and nail” to ensure that no housing or a care home would go on the site of Belmont House.
He said: “There is obviously more money in housing than anything else.
“But the infrastructure in Guisborough is already creaking at the moment.
“It’s not fair for Guisborough to be collecting all this council tax from even more housing for Redcar and Cleveland Council to spend elsewhere and not in the town of Guisborough.
“I know somebody is interested in making it into a business centre, which may make sense, but it would be their risk.”
Another independent, Councillor Anne Watts said the range of council services which were being “thrown out” of Belmont House was the “last straw” as far as she was concerned and has called on council chiefs to reconsider their decision.
These include social care, housing standards, environmental health, trading standards, the River Tees Port Health Authority, SEND and education advisors and IT and finance functions.
She said: “I did not realise so many important services were housed in Belmont House, they will all now leave Guisborough as we have got nowhere to put them.
“We haven’t got any hubs in Guisborough if you take Belmont House away, despite the sign outside of the library stating it is a library and community hub.
“It can’t be called a hub as there is only one room – it’s a space which is already quite chaotic as so many people in the community use it.
“Before you could walk into Belmont House and somebody would talk to you.
“Now if anybody gets in touch with a council-related concern the librarians ring a central call centre and only in extreme circumstances will a face-to-face appointment be made in the library.
“The sign at the library went up before the cabinet even agreed to this proposal, it has been a fix from day one.”
Cllr Watts, who represents the Belmont ward in Guisborough, added: “Guisborough is soon to become an isolated ghost town with poor transport and no physical contact with the rest of the borough or with decision making for the borough.”
A council report previously said the local authority had three large office buildings which, compared to pre-pandemic levels, were now less than a third full.
It said: “By terminating the contract early, the council will be able to secure improved value for money, deliver financial savings, address carbon emission reductions from these buildings, and streamline the costs associated with wider estate infrastructure.”
A council spokesman said: “The council remains committed to both maintaining a permanent presence in Guisborough including the provision of face-to-face support to residents at the library and also ensuring that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely, especially at a time of financial pressure.
“Customers can make appointments to discuss council tax or housing benefits and there are also IT facilities, Age UK digital drop-in sessions, baby sensory sessions, community banking and much more.”
He added: “The authority continually reviews and updates its plans to ensure there is office capacity for all our staff.
“The introduction of flexible working for staff has created surplus office space and ample capacity to accommodate staff across the remaining office estate.
“Belmont House will be marketed to ensure tax payers receive the best possible value for potential sale or lease and our officers will ensure that all relevant stakeholders – including ward members – are fully consulted.
“We welcome any suggestions and proposals.”