A cash-strapped council has been slammed for spending more than £5,000-a-day of taxpayer money – on empty offices.

Worcestershire County Council's headquarters closed in June last year after potentially deadly legionella was found in the water supply.

Despite being empty for more than a year, the sprawling 49-year-old site in Spetchley Road, Worcester, is still a drain on taxpayers.

Figures show it cost £1,993,545 to maintain the building last year – the equivalent of around £5,300-a-day.

This includes the council forking out £390,000 on a feasibility study on the buildings which concluded the site was "surplus to requirements". "

The council is run by a minority Reform coalition which is two seats short of a majority following May's local elections.

Councillors today blasted the current spending on the site, branding it "a disgrace". "

Labour councillor Richard Udall fumed: "It's an absolute scandal."



"Pouring £2 million of taxpayers' money into an empty and unusable building is a disgrace - money which should have been spent supporting public services. "

"Even before the problems arose, I was calling for the sale of County Hall - it's simply not needed." "

Parts of the building were closed in September 2023 after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was found in the roofs.

The cost of moving staff and equipment to rented offices nearby cost the taxpayer a further £160,000.

Figures revealed the annual building costs for County Hall came to £810,783 which included utilities, insurance and maintenance.

Cleaning, waste, grounds maintenance, window cleaning and statutory service costs added up to another £722,774.

The site also racked up £409,987 in business rates.

Cllr Udall said: "Cabinet needs to gain the courage to make an urgent decision to sell the building, to dispose of the land and to reinvest the money from the sale into public services. "

"We simply cannot afford the luxury of keeping a huge empty building when we are struggling to afford to provide basic public services." "

Lid-Dem councillor Dan Boatright-Greene said: "The longer this goes on, the more it is going to cost us. "

"Good, sensible decisions need to be made now as it is clear demolition is round the corner. Whether it is the council doing the work, or we sell the site, is yet to be determined." "

He also suggested building another multi-storey car park to serve Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Cllr Boatright-Green added: "There would still be space for some houses for key workers too."



"Let's create some affordable private homes for young people."



"It is a big site and it needs regeneration. Let's be ambitious, do it ourselves and start generating some revenue." "

The future of the site will be discussed by the council's cabinet on July 17.

Councillor Rob Wharton, cabinet member for finance and efficiency, said: "A detailed report will be published next week ahead of the meeting."



"This report has been prepared to provide details of options for future use of the site, associated costs as well as the steps required for decommissioning."



"We recognise the importance of keeping residents informed and are committed to open and transparent decision-making as we consider the long-term future of the County Hall site."