Five-year £4.7m streamlining plan for key Calderdale buildings is on schedule

Despite issues posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, major work approved back in September 2017 including to ensure three main depots are modernised has been largely done by Calderdale Council.

At the end of the day, board members heard, the projects are on track to save the council money.

The project includes use of key buildings around Calderdale, particularly at Todmorden and Elland.

Planned work at Todmorden Library, Rochdale Road, has been completed and the completed and the locality touch down point (TDP) is now open for staff to book, enabling them to meet people there.

Work is also being planned to make access to Grade I listed Todmorden Town Hall easier and a review on its future use and occupancy is under way with Todmorden Town Council.

At Elland, work to turn Elland Library into a multi-use hub had also finished.

The Library and Children’s Contact Centre sections have opened and the council’s office space on the first floor will be used for some of the council’s office staff.

Also in the town, Westgarth is now also complete, providing a modern, fit for purpose, respite care and independent living provision.

The council’s plans to overhaul three depots ensuring they are fit for purpose for staff who use them is at the early stages but on course and a new “youth bus” has been provided to the lower Calder Valley.

And as streamlining the amount of building space the council uses, property disposals have brought in £1.12 million from a target of £1.77 million, but the remaining £650,000 should also be brought in by the end of next year, members of Calderdale Council’s CAFM Asset Management Board heard.

A further phase of work, and streamlining the number of properties where the council’s workforce will be based are both rated “amber” rather than “green” in the traffic-lighting system.

The second phase review will look at how a number of other buildings, including reviews of day care, children’s centres and health hubs are used, while the £2.9 million workforce office accommodation strategy has slipped from green to amber.

This is largely because more thought has been given to which services can be fitted into the Horton Street, Halifax, hub and whether a more comprehensive refurbishment, subject to budget, of Halifax Town Hall should be undertaken.