Spiralling costs of maintaining a council's listed 1970s headquarters has forced the authority to consider relocating.

Proposals for Medway Council to move out of its Gun Wharf home to an alternative location in Chatham were revealed in September.

Cabinet member Adrian Gulvin (Con) said part of the issue of maintaining the building in Dock Road lays in the fact it is Grade-II Listed and therefore special permission has to be sought for repairs and alterations.

The portfolio holder for resources said: "We are spending the thickest part of £2 million a year on a building that is no longer fit for purpose.

"When it was built many years ago, it was a fine building and worked very well but it's aged and it would increasingly need more money spent on it.

"I think we are here to spend money on providing services for our residents here in Medway, the best services that we can offer our residents.

"Pouring money into an antiquated building I do not think is the best use of our residents' money."

His comments came during a virtual meeting of the council's Business Support Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, November 26.

The Walderslade councillor gave an example of the expenditure of repairing the building, saying how earlier this year, English Heritage halted a move to repair part of the roof, insisting original tiles which were no longer manufactured be used.

As a result, the tiles had to be specially made in Spain, with the total cost coming to just over £90,000.

Cllr Gulvin added the council will be looking at an alternative site in Chatham town centre but recognised how they had other priorities amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Suggestions alternative sites in the town could include the former Debenhams or part of the redevelopment of Mountbatten House, which the council is looking to purchase through a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).

Ambitions to overhaul Mountbatten House which form a keystone part of the plans to regenerate Chatham town centre – and would be carried out by the council-owned building firm Medway Development Company – were revealed this week.

Committee members were also presented with the results of a survey of the council's staff and their attitudes towards their working conditions amid the government's 'Work from home' advice.

The survey found over 90% are satisfied with their flexible working conditions.

Gun Wharf was built in the 1970s as an administrative headquarters for Lloyd's of London. It was bought by the council in 2006.

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