Council’s ‘rushed and panicked’ plan to leave Shirehall raises questions over financial future, councilor says

On Friday morning, all Shropshire Council employees received an email informing them of plans to effectively close its headquarters to all but essential personnel within seven days.

As well as closing Shirehall, the council’s Conservative administration also confirmed its intention to close two sites in Bridgnorth and one in Oswestry.

Now councilor Rosemary Dartnall, leader of the authority’s Labor Group, has said the “panic” nature of the decision points to growing concerns about the authority’s finances.

These measures are all part of cost-cutting measures as the council seeks to avoid a financial crisis and the equivalent of local government bankruptcy – a ‘114 notice’.

Shropshire Council’s financial difficulties are well known, but have become increasingly pressing in recent weeks.

The authority has set a target of cutting £62m from its budget this year.

But recent council reports indicate there could be up to £37m over budget at the end of the financial year.

The authority was already planning to leave Shirehall for Guildhall in Frankwell. In September he agreed to start dating from November, but the latest acceleration of those plans has raised concerns.

Leaving the building has two potential benefits financially: it allows the authority to reduce costs, but it also opens up the possibility of selling the site to developers, generating millions of pounds in additional funding.

But the latest measure has been met with criticism from opposition councillors.

Councilor Dartnall said: “Staff at Shropshire Council received an email when they started work on Friday telling them that from next Friday 1 November, Shirehall will close and they will have to work from home.

“That’s less than a week’s notice. Changing everyone’s work environment in this panicked way must leave everyone reeling and wondering what’s coming next.

“At the September council meeting, a draft removal strategy was put forward to make savings by moving Shirehall staff into the vacant Guildhall.

“The plan was rushed, with little clarity, moving staff over several months but leaving Shirehall partially occupied. “Now we have this sudden announcement: it is clear that the financial crisis in Shirehall is getting worse.

“Council staff must already feel completely undermined by the financial crisis and how this relates to the future of the council and their own livelihoods. Shropshire residents will be concerned about the essential services the council provides and on which they depend .

“Council staff have the right to be treated with consideration at all times, but the trickle of more and more bad news through this financial crisis has been debilitating.

“Council staff should be able to expect their working conditions to be respected and be adequately informed about a crisis they have caused nothing to do.”

In Friday’s message to staff explaining the move, council leader Lezley Picton said: “Shropshire Council is taking urgent action to reduce its spending. This is key to becoming the modern, efficient and financially sustainable council it is. needs to be.

“There are a small number of statutory functions we must maintain at Shirehall, such as Registrar Services, until they can move to Guildhall, and arrangements will be made for others who cannot work from home. “Some tenants who use Shirehall will also remain, but will leave The space we currently use will allow us to relocate them to other areas and close many parts of the building.

“UCS has vacated the Guildhall and the first teams will begin moving in from November, allowing the decommissioning of Shirehall to begin.

“These urgent measures reflect the need to act now to reduce our annual spend and these measures alone will save over £100,000 this winter through lower heating, lighting and cleaning costs.”