Council seeks more advice over headquarters bid

Decision makers at a local authority in Staffordshire have asked for more information before deciding whether or not to buy their current headquarters.

Councillors at Stafford Borough Council were due to discuss the issue on Tuesday, as they believed the proposals could save the local authority money in future years.

Leader Aidan Godfrey said the decision would be deferred, however, while independent financial advice was sought.

“This is a very important financial decision for the council and we need to proceed with the very latest advice,” he said.

He said not all of the necessary advice had been received in time for the meeting, while a statement issued by the authority added that work had been taking place to ensure the purchase of the building would be good value for money for local taxpayers.

Stafford’s Civic Centre currently has a lease which has more than 50 years to run and is subject to reviews which could lead to rent increases.

The council believes buying the building would make it easier to access grants to make the property more environmentally friendly and reduce running costs.

As well as the borough council, the four-storey building also houses other organisations - including NHS services.

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