Kendal’s County Hall will close as Westmorland and Furness Council continues to streamline its services.
The authority’s cabinet has agreed that it will instead invest in Kendal Town Hall as its main base in the town.
It will close County Hall for its current purpose in September, subject to a further review for any alternative future use.
A review said County Hall would need investment of around £7.4 million to make it suitable for current use – the cabinet has asked for a further report to look at potential alternative uses.
Considerable extra work would also be needed to fully comply with access legislation and the council’s carbon management strategy, it added, and the building’s future of would be subject to a separate decision at a later date.
Most services currently based at County Hall will move to South Lakeland House with an interim solution being in place for the archives service to support customers while a longer-term review is carried out.
In the meantime, the archives themselves will remain stored securely in County Hall.
Plans have already been put in place to ensure there will be no disruption to any couple’s wedding day plans. The town hall is already a licenced wedding venue. Access to the public car park will continue.
It said: “Transferring staff and services from County Hall to a more developed base at South Lakeland House/Kendal Town Hall supports Westmorland and Furness’s core value of being a responsible authority, delivering value for money and making the most efficient use of resources.
“The decision comes hot on the heels of progress at Voreda House, its new anchor building in Penrith, which will open its doors in the near future.
“Westmorland and Furness inherited a significant property portfolio when it took over from four predecessor councils last year and there has been a real focus on establishing the best value-for-money portfolio of assets from which to provide services and reduce costs.
“Rationalisation of the council’s assets is a real and tangible benefit of the creation of a unitary authority.”
Pam Duke, the council’s director of resources, said the decision would lead to more services for customers located in one central Kendal location.
She said: “The authority is in the fortunate position of having a nearby asset at South Lakeland House / Kendal Town Hall that has benefited from circa £5m of investment to provide a modern and flexible building that puts service delivery and customer experience at the centre of its design.
“Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to delivering on the benefits of being a unitary council. Good asset management is about understanding our customers, identifying what they need and then using our assets effectively to deliver the right level of service whilst delivering best value for money.”
