Council approves £375k HQ repair bill

County Hall in Worcester has been off-limits since September

Investigation works and repairs costing up to £1.85m are set to take place at a council headquarters where potentially dangerous concrete and legionella bacteria were found.

Worcestershire County Council's cabinet approved plans to spend £375,000 on stripping out and inspecting reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

The presence of Raac means parts of County Hall have been off-limits since September.

The council's leader, Conservative Simon Geraghty, said he would "like to pay tribute to officers and staff" in all areas for making sure services have continued.

“We have carried on maintaining roads and educating children. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t see, to make such a transition possible at a time of real change."

Depending on the findings of the investigation, another £1.5m could be spent on returning the building to the state it was in before being vacated in June, when legionella bacteria was discovered.

'Leaked on by pipes'

Cabinet member for corporate services Marcus Hart said it was "vital we have experts look at our building and come up with real proposals".

He added: "In terms of the £1.5m budget, it is right we have proper governance and due process.

"This quantum of cash will only be spent if we are able to put ourselves back in the position we were in before we vacated the building. This is no blank cheque."

Lib Dem councillor Dan Boatright-Greene said there were problems in County Hall long before Raac or legionella bacteria were found there.

He said he had been "leaked on by pipes in there" and would not use the underground car park for that reason.

"I’m in love and out of love with County Hall at the same time.

“This doesn’t bring the whole building back into use and if we can’t, what is the next step?"

Mr Boatright-Greene said he would like to see the authority looking at other options.

The plans were approved by cabinet, with the money coming from council reserves.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.