Council facing £16m cuts spends £750,000 on ‘strategic’ offices

A COUNCIL which is having to make £16.3m savings this year has splashed out on a city centre building at the cost of £750,000.

Hull Council has bought No 8 Bonded Warehouse (Hooper Building) from the Goodwin Development Trust at a cost of £753,000, including fees and other costs.

The building was not openly marketed, but the council says it is a “strategic purchase” as part of its “Building Optimisation Programme”, which is moving staff onto a new Guildhall campus, so it can close offices out- side the city centre. More money will have to be spent getting the building ready and connecting to the council’s computer network.

Earlier this year, the Labour leadership complained of “unprecedented” government cuts, before setting a budget which included a 4.9 per cent hike in council tax bills.

A decision record, signed by Coun Daren Hale, said the Hooper Building was “uniquely placed”, the only one within the Alfred Gelder, Guildhall Road, Lowgate and Quay Street block, which was not part of the corpo- rate office estate. It is in “excellent condition”.

The plan is to use it for 85 staff and then refurbish adjacent 79 Lowgate, the former History Centre, for another 215 staff.

It added: “Indications are that it will be a viable proposition and together the buildings can sup- port the relocation of staff from Brunswick House allowing its closure and disposal.”

The report warned it would be “important” to ensure that relocation of staff and disposal of council assets “more than compensate for the costs incurred.”