Cash-strapped Shropshire Council 'could save £35m' by not building new multi-agency offices, campaigners say
Shropshire Council could save £35m by moving staff back to Shirehall instead of building a new 'multi-agency hub' in Shrewsbury, according to campaigners fighting to save the council's former headquarters.
New figures produced by the Save Our Shirehall campaign group show the group believes a budget refurbishment of the now vacant former council headquarters on Abbey Foregate in Shrewsbury could run to around £5m.
That figure is substantially below previous estimates for the cost of refurbishing Shirehall and around £35 million below an estimated cost of building a new multi-agency hub building as part of Shrewsbury's Smithfield regeneration, the council's previously favoured approach.
Council officers are currently based at Shrewsbury's Guildhall, also owned by Shropshire Council, and should the new building go ahead the authority could be left with three major administrative buildings for its 5,000 or so staff - having previously committed to a policy of downsizing its portfolio to save money.
Last month, the new Liberal Democrat administration said it was "re-examining" its stance on Shirehall, as part of a stock-taking exercise which begun after the party took control of the authority in May.
In a statement, the council's cabinet member for finance Councillor Roger Evans said the new administration wanted to "better understand the condition of the building and our potential options before making any further comment".
"A costed upgrade and modest refurbishment of the Shirehall to make it fit for purpose, ensuring a good environmental performance and reinstating it as a practical working space for staff would cost in the region of £4m plus £1m contingency, making this far better value for money for local taxpayers and for the overall operation of the council," said a spokesperson for Save Our Shirehall.
"At present the Guildhall does not function adequately or even offer a chamber large enough for full council meetings. The Shirehall continues to function with two tenant organisations still occupying the building and with a full council meeting last held there in February 2025.
"Individual Shropshire Council departments currently operate from nine other office sites around Shrewsbury, not only from the Guildhall, which could sensibly and more effectively be brought together under one roof again at the Shirehall. This would free those sites for alternative development."
Cost estimates produced by the group include a budget of around £2.2m for replacing ageing aluminium framed windows at the building, with a further £800k allocated to lighting and heating improvements.
Around £750k is allocated for fire safety remediations, cited as the cause for the closure of the upper floors of the building prior to the council deciding to leave.
The release of the figures comes after the Shrewsbury Civic Society launched a photographic exhibition intended to highlight the architectural significance of the building in Shrewsbury this week, attended by Shrewsbury mayor and Shropshire Councillor Alex Wagner.
"This isn't just about architecture, this building meant and means a lot to an enourmous number of people," he told a crowd gathered at the launch of the exhibition.
"Thousands of people worked there, thousands of people were married there in the registry offices, or had an important meeting there - good and bad decisions have been made there over the years which have had a huge impact on the people of this county.
"Part of what makes the Shirehall such an important part of civic life in Shrewsbury is the fact that it is a bit divisive by its nature, and the fact that we're all here to celebrate it but I could just as easily find a room full of people who take a view to the contrary is the point - and that's to be celebrated."
