Castleford Civic Centre could be next public building to close as Wakefield Council face £5m energy bill increase

A meeting was told that the authority is also considering mothballing public buildings in Pontefract as part of cost saving measures.

Last week, the Council announced that it will be closing its headquarters building at County Hall, in Wakefield, from next month.

Kevin Fisher, service director for property facilities, told members of Wakefield Schools Forum of the possible building closures as he gave an update on the impact of rising energy prices.

He said: “It is a very fragile space at the moment.

“I wish we could bring some definite news about what is happening with energy in general but we can’t.”

Mr Fisher said that, before the start of the financial year, the authority was expecting to spend an additional £1.7m on energy as the price of electric was forecast to rise 55 per cent and gas was predicted to go up by 38 per cent.

He continued: “We are now looking at, because of a range of economic issues, an increase of 140 per cent across our estate for electricity and a 297 per cent increase in gas.

“We are looking at a £5m increase in terms of the council’s budget in terms of energy.”

Mr Fisher told members that the authority is now looking at the temporary closure of Castleford Civic Centre, property in Pontefract and other “minor” municipal buildings.

The officer said there may be “logistical challenges” around the closure of those building due to some of the activities that take place in them and them being used by partner organisations.

Mr Fisher said energy prices for schools had been capped by Government but that was only expected to last for six months.

He said: “Unfortunately we don’t know what the future holds at the end of the next six months.

He continued: “We can’t close classrooms, we can’t close dining rooms.

“We are looking at other things.”

Mr Fisher told members that “energy conservation audits” are being carried out at public buildings in the district.

He explained: “We are going around a number of our buildings and seeing what we can do to make a difference.

“A lot of it is the old-fashioned switching computers off at the end of the day.

“We would like to come into to some of your schools and make audits.”

Castleford Civic Centre, on Ferrybridge Road, was opened in 1970 as a purpose-built auditorium featuring two large function rooms.

The main Assembly Hall has capacity for 700 people and is a popular venue for shows, concerts and weddings.

The smaller Legioleum Room has capacity for 120 people and is used for conferences and business meetings.

The Council is currently expected to overspend its budget by around £11m for this financial year.

A recent financial report estimates that it will also have to contend with a budget gap of almost £85m over the next five years.