3 months after council staff left the Guildhall to move into the new West Office building, a Freedom of Information request has revealed that the – now empty – building is still costing taxpayers £162,000 a year.

The figure doesn’t include any modernisation costs and is partly made up of Business Rates payments.

Although it was always intended that the Council Chamber would continue to host full Council meetings, it appears that other meeting rooms are also being used on an ad hoc basis.

This rules out the possibility of negotiating a reduced Business Rate liability and will have implications for heating, lighting and caretaking costs.

It appears that meeting space at the New West Offices is at a premium.

The original plan has been to locate senior staff and Councillors in the historic part of the building while leasing out the more modern annex. Space freed up at the new West Offices would also have been let providing a useful additional revenue stream for the Council (further details of the West Office arrangements will be published on this web site tomorrow)

The Council courted controversy when Labour decided to abandon the Guildhall. Critics pointed out that the prominent listed building would continue to be a burden on taxpayers and that it would be more economical to continue to use it as the centre of democracy in the City.

A largely bogus “design competition” for the site was hastily bundled together last year, although it was always clear that the huge investment needed, for a major remodelling of the building and access arrangements, was be unlikely to be available in the short term.

So it has proved to be the case with parts of the building now left to rot.

Empty buildings owned by the York Council (annual costs in brackets) include:

• Ashbank (£28,000),

• Hollycroft (£24,000),

• St Antonys House (£27,000) and

• Guildhall (£162,000)

Other empty property is leased by the Council and will be handed back to the owners during the next 6 months. Significant costs will accrue in the mean time. The properties involved are:

• Mill House (Lease expires 14th June 2013) Cost £73,000

• 20 George Hudson St (12th July 2013) £68,000

• 18 Back Swinegate (1st September 2013) £139,000

• St Leonards & Museum St (23rd June 2013) £113,000

• Little Stonegate (13th June 2013) £13,000

The anticipated cost includes rent, rates and services up until the planned termination of the lease.