Concern has been raised over a £1.3 million bill the Isle of Wight council will face to upgrade the heating system, lighting and windows at its Newport base.
As part of the council’s goal to hit carbon next zero by 2030, the authority has been carrying out work on its buildings to make them more energy efficient.
Through the public sector decarbonisation fund, the authority was awarded more than £2.5 million in the first phase to complete work at 10 sites on the Island.
Air source heat pumps and LED lighting
In a next phase, £701,767 from the government and £600,000 of Isle of Wight council money will now be used to install air source heat pumps and LED lighting as well as upgrading the current heating system and windows at County Hall.
Speaking at the council’s corporate scrutiny committee meeting last night (Tuesday), Cllr Joe Robertson, Conservative leader at County Hall, questioned if the investment should go ahead due to the potential future of the building.
Feasibility study of the land around County Hall
As part of the draft Island Planning Strategy, the Conservative group was successful in securing a feasibility study of the land around County Hall, involving the building, to assess its suitability for housing.
It had been an ambition of the Tory group before the 2021 local elections to build housing on the brownfield land in Newport, demolishing County Hall, and using another council building as its main hub.
Robertson: Question mark over its future?
Cllr Robertson said £1.3 million seemed like an awful lot of money to invest in a building that sits half empty with a question mark over its future, at a time when families face a crisis in their own households. He suggested the building might only be in use for another 2-3 years.
However, the ruling Alliance administration, has said there are no immediate plans to demolish County Hall.
Bacon: County Hall exists and needs to be as green and functional as possible
Responding to Cllr Robertson’s point, Cllr Jonathan Bacon, cabinet member for the environment, said as it stands County Hall exists and the council need to make sure it is as green and functional as possible.
He said he did not know what the timescale of the feasibility study would be or what it may suggest.
Bacon: County Hall does not have a short life
Cllr Bacon said the measures are the sort other people should be looking to install in their own buildings and no one was going to do that with a building that has a known short life, but that was not the situation the council was dealing with at County Hall.
Lilley: Legal obligation
Cllr Michael Lilley said it had a legal obligation to ensure its staff had adequate heating.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
