Conwy council's £58m building lying empty is 'a myth' - councillor

The £58 million building opened in November 2018

A councillor said the idea that a £58 million flagship council building was lying empty was a "myth".

Councillor Penny Andow told a Conwy council cabinet meeting the Coed Pella complex in Colwyn Bay was "jam-packed".

It comes after a Freedom of Information (FOI) application showed it was occupied by 25% of staff in August 2022.

The FOI showed 173 council employees worked there that month, out of a capacity of about 700.

The council rents the building - where it moved to in November 2018 - for just under £1.5m a year, on a 40-year lease.

During a debate about hybrid working, Ms Andow, the cabinet member for integrated adult and community services, said the building was so busy you could not park there.

She said: "At the full council meeting, a member said 'Coed Pella is empty. There is no one in there'. And actually I went to Coed Pella the following day, and it was absolutely jam-packed. I couldn't park yesterday. I sat in reception on several different occasions and counted 10 people coming in and out. Everyone is sat at their workstation.

"So can we dispel the myth? Coed Pella is certainly not empty and if you can find a parking space at 12pm on a weekday, then you are really lucky. So let's stop that myth and move on."

Councillors were discussing a mid-year progress performance report regarding the council's five-year corporate plan, which was adopted last year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The report stated good progress was made during the first six months in delivering the council's wellbeing objectives and included a list of 81 areas of success.

But the positive report followed a public backlash after the council agreed to a 9.9% council tax hike and 10% budget cut to all services except education and social services, which faced a 5% reduction.

Council leader Charlie McCoubrey insisted the authority was performing well, adding: "Sadly the only parameters we will be judged on is the council tax, not the level of service we provide."