Civic hall for sale with potential big repair bill

STANLEY Civic Hall is up for sale after Durham County Council regained control of the site earlier this year. The building was handed back to the local authority after the town council admitted it wasn’t able to keep up with the venue’s maintenance and repair costs.

An investigation found the heating system is broken. Rooms have been declared out-of-bounds due to holes in the roof and windows. Durham County Council confirmed it has listed the building for sale “as there are no future requirements for it within our operations.”

The town council’s legacy of managing the site has been blamed on its deteriorating condition and earlier this year, the Joint Administration running Durham County Council made up of Conservative, Liberal Democrat, and Independent members launched a scathing attack on the Labour-run Stanley Town Council for the state of the building.

Local members were labelled “inept and incompetent” by those in power at County Hall and were told they had let the residents of Stanley down. Councillor James Rowlandson warned the cost of repairs to a historic building could reach £1million.

The council member explained in a meeting: “Because it has been left with no heating, no repairs to the roof and windows in the worst winter there has been for a number of years, the repair bill could reach £1 million to bring it back into proper use.”

The Labour Party then criticised the council for investing in other projects rather than fixing up existing places of heritage and expressed fears the town could lose this historical venue once sold.

Party leader Coun Carl Marshall protested: “Having just managed to push through a budget designed to plough money into Durham City, here we have yet another example of the coalition ignoring the needs of the county’s forgotten towns and villages.

“Stanley Town Council finally handed day-to-day management of the building back to the County Council after years of pleading for support with spiralling maintenance costs of the building and within weeks of returning the building the coalition has put the building up for sale with a short window of opportunity for potential buyers to express interest.

“Once again, people in Stanley must go without while watching millions being ploughed into Durham City Centre.”

However, the Joint Administration said its investment in the council’s cultural offering will benefit the whole of County Durham.

Coun Rowlandson said: “Durham County Council is having to sell Stanley Civic Hall precisely because of the neglect it has been subjected to since the town council signed a lease for the building 13 years ago, along with full responsibility for its upkeep and any repairs.”