Staffordshire councillors reconsider reopening of Marmion House in Tamworth

This comes as a recent announcement into local government reorganisation which could involve the end of Tamworth Borough Council. However fears have been raised that the history and heritage of the town could be lost in a future council merger.

Now councillors have stated that the reopening of the mothballed building would only be temporary. Opposition councillors submitted a motion to be considered by the council.

It stated: “Council requests that Cabinet reviews the decision (re Marmion House) following the announcement of the abolition of district and borough councils, further spending on the temporary home of Tamworth Borough Council and its reception at Marmion House should be halted. This decision aligns with the government’s devolution white paper, which signals the end of district councils.”

However, Portfolio Holder for People Services, Engagement and Leisure, Councillor Lewis Smith that the devolution won’t take place for a number of years in Staffordshire and said the decision to open the front desk was worth it.

He said: “As I’ve said in previous meetings the tourist information centre is not fit for purpose to be more than what the tourist information centre was originally designed to do. So that what was used as the front desk for quite a while.

“It was the previous administration that attempted to get funding for a new council building at Upper Gungate but it failed. Earlier this year this administration was asked to look into the purchasing of the Moorgate facility, despite the fact that it was an area the previous administration looked at moving the council to but it was deemed too expensive to complete.

“The previous administration had looked at opening an office at Ankerside and it was also deemed too expensive to complete. With Marmion House, the front desk we are opening a much needed and wanted front facing customer service desk next week to provide for the residents of Tamworth.

“We’ve also previously been accused of being reckless with taxpayers money with this decision and I completely disagree with that. We are making use of an already owned asset, which is costing the council less than £100,000 to fix back up as it’s been left to rot. The running cost of the front desk will cost £56,000 per year with the current opening hours.”

Conservative opposition leader, Councillor Jeremy Oates, who submitted the motion urged the council to review the plans if the council is only going to be in existence for a few more years.

He said: “We have to be careful that the borough council, whether it’s in a temporary home or manages somehow to get through reorganisation in some form or another, that its about the council, not about an eight storey, white elephant that was taken on because it wasn’t financially viable when it was put to market in the business sector when it was originally built.

“We seem to have turned Marmion House into an icon of the home of Tamworth Borough Council; its bricks and mortar as most homes are. What we’re asking for this evening is a response to the local government white paper and a response to the temporary nature of Tamworth Borough Council’s home and its reception and that opportunity to have a review, an update and potentially stop spending any further money we might not need to as we’re only going to be in existence for a few more years.”