Urgent repairs costing £1.85m to be spent on County Hall

The works could open up “as much of County Hall as was available immediately prior to the vacation of the whole of the building” according to cabinet papers published today (Tuesday, July 16).

At a cabinet meeting on Thursday, council leader Simon Geraghty will recommend the approval of a one-off budget of £375,000 to strip out and inspect RAAC panels on the upper floors of County Hall.

The presence of RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) means parts of County Hall have been off-limits since September 2023.

Cllr Geraghty will also ask his cabinet to approve a spend of up to £1.5m on remedial works following the inspection, as long as it would return the building to the state it was in before June 21, when County Hall was vacated almost entirely after legionella bacteria was found at the site.

The money will come from the council's reserves.

In a report going before cabinet, which is due to meet at Wyre Forest District Council offices in Kidderminster, the council says “it is possible that during the investigations there may be opportunities to immediately remediate e.g. removal/stabilisation of RAAC panels”.

Investigations will focus on plant rooms, access points and the council chamber, with the aim being to bring these areas of County Hall back into use.

The council says it will use “competent contractors” to carry out the work and progress will be reported back to cabinet in the autumn.

“Given the urgency, procurement exemptions will be required to execute these works to enable re-occupation of County Hall,” the report says.

“The procurement process has been discussed with the commercial team and all works will be costed before each task is carried out and costs monitored by the relevant quantity surveyor.”

The council also says in the report that offices at Wildwood have been set up “at minimal cost” by using existing furniture and equipment, including existing staff from County Hall.