Wirral Council debate the furure of town hall provision in the borough

Jun 23 2010 by Liam Murphy, Birkenhead News

Wirral Council is considering office options in a bid to save £1m. Liam Murphy reports

THE FUTURE of Wirral’s town halls in Wallasey and Birkenhead is in doubt as the authority considers a new report on its office space.

The council will look at a range of options, from retaining all buildings as they are now, to a complete replacement of all local council sites, to save up to £1 million a year on office accommodation.

Deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for corporate resources, Simon Holbrook, ruled out the most extreme options as unlikely – but left the possibility that the town halls could be replaced.

Of the six options outlined in the report, which will be presented to the council’s ruling cabinet on Thursday, most suggest variations on use of the town halls, Cheshire Lines, Acre Lane, Solar Campus and Westminster House.

The option recommended to councillors would see Wallasey Town Hall retained, along with Cheshire Lines, Acre Lane, better use made of Solar Campus and a refurbished Westminster House. It suggests the rest of the office space needed for 1,150 staff be “new build”.

Several options would see the north and south annexes, which house offices adjacent to Wallasey town hall, closed.

But others could see Birkenhead Town Hall become the main civic centre – or a newly built “town hall” created for councillors.