Frustration over Ossett town hall repairs delay

Major refurbishment work at Ossett Town Hall will not be completed on time, Wakefield Council has admitted.

It has said the delays in the £2m project were due to "ceilings and floors falling through" at the Grade II-listed building.

Work had been expected to be completed by the end of this year, but the authority has said it is not going to be finished until next summer.

The council has apologised for the "unexpected delays".

Built in 1908, Ossett Town Hall served as a civic centre, magistrates' court and offices for Ossett Borough Council until 1974, when Ossett became part of Wakefield Council.

The building on Market Place has been surrounded by scaffolding since August 2022.

Restoration work is also being carried out to the roof, clock tower and stonework and the town's library is being moved from the ground floor to the first floor.

Natalie Palmer, the council's interim service director for property, said: "We share everyone's frustration that the refurbishment of Ossett Town Hall is taking longer than expected and apologise for the disruption caused.

"As the building is Grade II-listed, any additional work we have discovered during the refurbishment has had to follow the strict guidance that applies to such old buildings, and this has led to unexpected delays."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillors told a Police and Communities Together (PACT) meeting earlier this month they had been informed of delays.

Conservative Nick Farmer said: "The scaffolding is still there and I don't know what the cost to Wakefield Council is going to be."

One resident at the meeting said: "I don't think the Sistine Chapel took this long."

Labour's Olivia Rowley said delays had been caused by new planning applications having to be submitted to get the work completed.

"Now they have found all the ceilings and floors have fallen through, so that was another planning application."

Ms Palmer said the preservation of the building was important.

"We are working hard to complete the work as soon as possible.

"We expect it to be completed by next summer."