Chester Council is reportedly buying office space in the £80m HQ Building after selling County Hall for £10m to a local university. The open plan, shared office space is estimated to cost them about double the selling price of County Hall.
The HQ Building, near Chester city centre, is located right next to the racecourse, is also very close to restaurants, hotels, and apartments. This move by the Chester Council and Cheshire West has ruffled the feathers of the Labour party, as they believe this to be an improper use of the public’s money.
Though not completely against it, the Labour party is unsure considering the enormous costs if this is a good idea, said Councillor Derek Bateman, Labour Leader. He added that his party wants to see that there is “transparency and discussion” before the final decision is made on the issue. The Labour party also wants to see that the County Hall is utilized properly.
Cllr Justin Madders, the Labour party’s Finance spokesperson also raised doubts by saying that if in these difficult times the council is thinking of cutting costs then this lavish expenditure seems unreasonable. If the Chester Council is not able to give a good reason for the purchase then it should not be allowed to happen, he added.
The proposal was sent to the scrutiny board of Chester Council during the executive meeting on Wednesday night after several objections were raised from the opposition.
