Historic building to be sold off as city seeks £90m budget cuts

SPENDING cuts of £90m have led Liverpool City Council cabinet to recommend Municipal Buildings is put up for sale.

Plans will see staff who work in the building on Dale Street being relocated to other sites across the city.

If the proposal is approved, the building will be marketed for sale soon.

A decision about the fate of the building is set to be decided on Friday September 30.
 
Employees will move to other premises including Cunard Building at the Pier Head, Premier Court on Hatton Garden, Venture Place on Sir Thomas Street and Wavertree Customer Focus Centre on Wavertree Road.
 
Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “Municipal Buildings has been a magnificent home for Liverpool City Council since the 1860s, but it is a very costly building to run and maintain and we no longer have the staff numbers to justify retaining it.

“This is a listed building and I want to reassure people that it will be protected and we will ensure that its future use protects its unique architectural features.

“The sale of Municipal Buildings will bring in money which we can reinvest in reducing the costs of our capital infrastructure programme, as well as delivering ongoing savings by lowering our overheads.”

Liverpool City Council has already sold the building’s Municipal Annexe and the Royal Insurance Building on North John Street to make savings.

The council have faced a 58% cut in government funding since 2010, losing a total of £330m.

Municipal Buildings was built in 1866 to house the council’s growing number of administrative staff and is currently the main site for public services, such as the One Stop Shop.