Northants police commissioner's £3.3m unused building to be sold at a loss

Stephen Mold, the Conservative candidate, was re-elected as Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in 2021

The office for Northamptonshire's police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) stands to make a loss of more than £1m on a garage workshop that has sat empty for more than two years.

PFCC Stephen Mold bought the £3.3m unit in 2021 with the intention to use it to fix police and fire vehicles.

The complex in Earls Barton near Northampton had a further £1.3m spent on it but is now back on the market.

An advert online calls for offers "in the region" of £3.5m.

Mr Mold, the Conservative PFCC, was told by his staff that the site on Baron Avenue was an "exact match" for what the county's fire and police services needed and that there were "no significant disadvantages or risks".

Office documents obtained through a freedom of information request suggest the office spent £660,000 on VAT, about £525,000 on designs and a further £187,500 on stamp duty.

That would mean it has spent at least £4.6m on it so far.

When asked if money had been spent on designs, Mr Mold's office asked the Local Democracy Reporting Service to submit another freedom of information request for those details.

The complex in Baron Avenue, Earls Barton, is on the market at a price that represents a loss of more than £1m

Northamptonshire's chief constable Nick Adderley had said he was "very supportive" of the project, "if affordable".

He said he wanted the police to use a site that was "modern and fit for purpose".

Mr Mold's office also said the office block in the building was "substantially larger" than its transport and logistics team would have initially needed.

It said that meant there was an opportunity to put other parts to different uses, including a conference suite.

'Constant review'

Northamptonshire's police, fire and crime panel was told in April that the building was being prepared to go on the market.

The panel was told the office "carried out a review of the joint estate to assess affordability and suitability to provide best value".

Also that month, a spokesperson for Mr Mold's office said the building initially "suited our requirements" and "considerable work" was done to plan for it.

"However, as the public would expect, we keep our plans under constant review to ensure they continue to deliver for our business and the taxpayer," they said.

Mr Mold will meet the police, fire and crime panel on Thursday.

If a buyer pays the asking price, it would appear to leave the office with a loss of over £1m on the project overall.