Council set to close Kendal's historic County Hall

A council is set to close its historic County Hall after a report said it would cost £7.4m to repair.

Westmorland and Furness Council's cabinet agreed to close County Hall in Kendal, with services set to move to Kendal's South Lakeland House.

The council said the move would provide improved staff and customer services in Kendal.

It plans to have three service "hubs" in Kendal, Penrith and Barrow.

At a meeting in Alston on Tuesday 4 June, the authority's cabinet agreed to close County Hall for its "current purpose" from 30 September, subject to a further review for any alternative future use.

A review of the building said it would cost £7.4m to make County Hall suitable for its current purpose.

A report prepared for the cabinet states: “The building has potentially now passed a key point where all indicators point to a building that is physically, functionally, environmentally and economically obsolete.”

It's future will be subject to a separate decision at a later late.

The building was the headquarters of the former Westmorland County Council from 1939 to 1974. It was then used by Cumbria County Council until the shake-up of local government in 2023.

Pam Duke, the council’s director of resources, said: “The authority is in the fortunate position of having a nearby asset at South Lakeland House/Kendal Town Hall that has benefitted 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.”

Most services currently based at County Hall will move to South Lakeland House. The archives services will remain at County Hall while a longer-term review is carried out.

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