CHESHIRE East Council has spent nearly £100,000 since 2020 mothballing a Knutsford building which closed in 2010 – and still won’t reveal its future plans for the site.
In August 2022 the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) revealed the council was shelling out more than £20,000 a year on the boarded-up Bexton Court, a former day care centre which used to provide dementia care services.
That cash went towards business rates, council tax, security charges and a small gas charge for the building, which has been empty for 14 years.
Cheshire East would not reveal at that time what its plans for the building were, although the LDRS understood the council was holding on to the building because the NHS may want it as part of its future healthcare plans for the town.
Since then nothing has materialised and the council is still refusing to answer questions about the future of the site.
The LDRS has managed to obtain, through a freedom of information (FOI) request, that cash-strapped Cheshire East has spent £98,800 since 2020 mothballing the building.
The FOI did ask how much the total cost was since 2010 but only the figures dating back four years were given.
Other responses to questions in the FOI were also vague.
The response to a question about why there had been such a delay in selling or re-purposing the building, was: “The site is being considered as part of a wider redevelopment project.”
In response to what the future plans are and when they will be actioned, the FOI reply was: “The council is awaiting a decision on the wider redevelopment project.”
As stated, the building has been empty since 2010 – so both the Conservative and Labour/Independent administrations are accountable.
Cllr Janet Clowes (Image: Cheshire East Council)
Today Cllr Janet Clowes, leader of the Conservative group on Cheshire East Council, said it was right the LDRS had brought this back to the attention of the public again.
“It is something I’ve been aware of ever since I became a councillor and I have consistently, both in my role as portfolio holder in the past, but more recently as leader of the opposition and a member of both the health and wellbeing board and the adult and social care committee, asked for definitive decisions to be made about the future of this important site,” said Cllr Clowes.
“I have consistently asked for it to be used for appropriate adult social care use and this was reflected in the 2020 budget when it came forward as a budget amendment and was unanimously supported.
“However, that proposal was scrapped later that year and since then I have had no joy in finding out what the future of this site is going to be.
“In the meantime, we continue to waste money maintaining these empty buildings and it has to stop.”
Cheshire East Council said it did not wish to comment at this time.
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