Council looks to ditch Inverness Town House as a city base to save £370,000

Highland Council wants to move out of the iconic Town House that has been the home of the local government since 1882 to save £370,000 a year.

Built in 1882, the building hosted the Inverness area committee meetings but despite a £7.4 million refurbishment those gatherings were moved to council HQ.

Currently it houses 100 members of staff who will move to the Glenurquhart Road HQ but it is unclear if the up to 300 civic functions it hosts a year.

It would be a significant financial blow to the Inverness Common Good Fund which would not just lose revenue but have to pick up costs.

Related Content:

Poverty measures ‘dropped’ from council agenda as cash is splashed on new Christmas decorations for Town House and city centre

Highland Council splashes £2600 on robes in the middle of the cost of living crisis

The local authority’s redesign board – established to streamline, reform and rationalise areas of council business – will debate the issue next week.

According to the plan being put to the redesign board, from April 1 next year savings would be achieved by ceasing payment to the Inverness Common Good Fund.

That includes use of the Town House for office space and parking, together with savings on utilities and maintenance costs for the site.

The means the Common Good Fund would lose or assume the burden of:

• The annual payment of £200,000 for use of the site
• The annual payment of £33,500 for use of the car park
• All utility costs and non-domestic rates
• Liability for maintenance, cleaning and facilities management costs

According to the local authority, the savings would contribute to an overall target of £1 million revenue savings as part of the asset management plan.

That plan seeks to divest as many properties as possible to reduce operational costs and the carbon footprint to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2040.

If the board agrees then the proposal would have to be accepted at the December meeting of the full council but it is unlikely to pass smoothly.

There was uproar from some councillors when the local area committee meetings moved out of the Town House.

The chairman of the redesign board Councillor Bill Lobban said: “Prudent financial decisions play a critical role in ensuring that we meet the ambitious revenue savings targets by reducing our office footprint across numerous Council buildings.

“The redesign board considered this review of our considerable assets and have worked together to produce this important piece of work which will greatly reduce our overhead costs, reduce our energy consumption and contribute to climate change targets while allowing this iconic civic building to be better utilised.”

Housing and property committee chairwoman and Provost of Inverness, Cllr Glynis Sinclair said: “Inverness Town House has recently undergone a £7.4 million renovation which has brought it back to its former glory.

“The investment helped to secure the heritage of the Town House for generations to come. This beautifully restored building offers new opportunities for the Common Good Fund to maximise its cultural importance in the heart of the city of Inverness in the form of tours, weddings and other events which mean the public and tourists can enjoy this remarkable historic building.”

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.