Empty Gloucester council offices costing taxpayers thousands

The council vacated Herbert, Kimberley and Philpott warehouses in Gloucester Docks in 2019

Gloucester City Council's empty dockside offices are costing the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds in business rates, it has been revealed.

The council left the Herbert, Kimberley and Philpott (HKP) warehouses in 2019.

Dowdeswell Group Ltd bid to convert the buildings into a four-star hotel but it appeared the deal was off by November.

The council had been given an exemption for business rates but that expired last year and it said it was now talking to other potential investors.

The council said it became liable for business rates in 2022/23 when its exemption - meant as a temporary reprieve - on the building expired.

Since the exemption expired the city council became liable for more than £80,000 of business rates for the three seven-storey 19th-century warehouses, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. 

Councillor Jeremy Hilton, (Lib Dem, Kingsholm and Wotton) queried the £234,000 charges accrued in business rate for the buildings.

Under a section of the Local Government Finance Act 1988 the council said it would receive a rebate of £148,000 reducing the cost to more like £86,000.

Mr Hilton accused the council of failing to deliver on its plan to turn the offices into a luxury hotel and asked whether officers should invoice Dowdeswell Group for the charge.

Deputy leader Hannah Norman (Cons, Quedgeley Fieldcourt) said she did not think there would be any legal route they could take to do that.

"And from the smile you're giving me I think you probably agree," she added.