Decision over future of Walsall Civic Centre looms amid budget struggles

And they said they were “open to suggestions” on what to do with the historic Town Hall, which has not been used for events since the pandemic.

It came amid claims that Walsall Council was “effectively closed to residents” due to the lack of public-facing services.

The Civic Centre on Darwall Street, which serves as the authority’s main offices, closed its doors at the start of the lockdown in March 2020.

Council leader Mike Bird said a maximum of a quarter of staff currently work from the site each day and there were no plans to increase usage.

He said: “The Civic Centre is open on a daily basis and is still used for meetings, but as with other councils across the country, working from home has become the norm.

“Managers are now instructed to make sure that staff come in on a rota basis so there’s always somebody in from most of the departments.”

Mr Bird said the authority’s new chief executive, who will be appointed after Helen Paterson leaves the role, will have a “big decision” to make on whether to keep the site or sell it off.

“That will be a consideration for the future and it will certainly be one for the new chief executive to look at when he or she is appointed,” he said.

“Like many councils we are having to cope with errors made in Westminster and balancing the books will always be the priority.”

Questions have also been raised over the future of the Town Hall on Leicester Street, which hosted the likes of Slade, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath in its heyday.

The venue's income was just £600 in 2021-22, which Walsall Council says was down to Covid and the fact that it wasn't being externally let.

Mr Bird said the venue was going through a quiet spell due to people being “loathe to get together when everyday there is a new revelation of Covid still being around”.

“The Town Hall suffers from a lack of parking which has always been a major drawback when it comes to attracting bookings,” he said.

“That always detracts from the usage. We are open to suggestion because obviously it is an income generator.

“There’s only two ways to balance the books, and that’s more income or less overheads. We’re trying to do both.”

Independent Blakenall ward councillor Pete Smith has demanded a full council vote on the future of sites including the Civic Centre and the Town Hall.

The former borough mayor said: “The situation now is that Walsall Council is effectively closed to residents and the only way people can access services is through a computer.

“None of the decisions regarding these buildings have been made by elected members, which means there is no accountability. People are expected to pay more council tax for worse services.

“Councillors should be given a vote on what to do with council buildings.”

Meanwhile Mr Bird has doubled down on the decision to close the council’s first stop shop, which offered face-to-face services from the Civic Centre.

He said people were “just going in for a warm” or with problems that were “nothing to do with the council”, and that closing it had saved £1million.