£20m spent on never-used base for fire services
TAXPAYER BILL WILL KEEP RISING
A PURPOSE-BUILT regional fire control building constructed as part of a plan that never got off the ground has cost the taxpayer £20 million so far.
The building in Castle Donington, pictured, has sat empty since its completion in 2007.
The project to merge control rooms for Leicestershire and other East Midlands fire services was eventually abandoned in 2010.
The government does not own the building and is legally obliged to continue rent payments until the 25-year lease ends in 2033.
Running costs are also on the rise, according to figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The sum of £1,954,425 was spent in 2020/21 on rent, rates, service charges and other bills. In 2007, this amount was £895,205.
A total of £20,467,436 has been spent on the building as of 2020/21.
The building on Willow Farm Business Park was to have been one of nine fire control fentres delivered by the then Department of Communities and Local Government between 2007 and 2010.
Officials from its successor, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said seven of the sites had been disposed off.
A spokesman said: “We’re actively seeking tenants for Castle Donington and working to keep costs to a minimum in the meantime.”
Joe Ventre, digital campaign manager at right-wing campaign group TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It’s hard to believe that taxpayers are still picking up the bill for these fire control buildings.
“With 10 years left on the lease, costs will continue to mount up if the centre cannot be rented out.
“The government must do its utmost to unshackle this costly mistake from the public purse.”
An employee of a neighbouring business, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “I’ve been working here for six years and I’ve never seen any activity there.
“We have yet to see anybody go in or out.
“We struggle for parking spaces around here and when we have parked outside the building before we got told not to go there.
“It’s a bit of a white elephant, really. It’s just dead money.”