Wakefield Council is weighing a larger repair package for County Hall after surveyors raised concerns about structural weakness in parts of the 19th-century, Grade I-listed building, including ceilings at risk of collapse linked to a leaking roof.
Cabinet members have been asked to approve an additional £8.2 million to fund a full roof replacement and repairs to windows and masonry. That brings the overall project total to £14.1 million. The council previously agreed in February 2025 to spend £5.9 million on urgent work to make the building watertight, after years of warnings that repairs were needed.
County Hall has been mostly unoccupied since a temporary closure in 2022, when the council cited soaring energy costs to heat the building. It still hosts monthly full council meetings, with limited use of the ground floor and basement archive storage.
Further surveys in October 2024 by Gleeds, the council’s property delivery partner, pointed to rising costs tied to structural issues. According to the report, exclusion zones were put in place where no access was allowed. Propping was installed to prevent ceiling collapse, and crash decks are being built at two staircases to support further investigations and provide additional protection.
The report also noted lead paint, which means safe removal work is required to prevent dust from spreading. Fire detection and fire panel works are on hold because the top floor structure has been compromised, although existing fire detection remains in place.
The council report warned that without the proposed works, deterioration will continue, with risks that include enforcement action by Historic England and further cost escalation tied to untreated water ingress. No external grants are currently available, and Historic England advised that funding prospects strengthen once a future use for the building is identified. The report said conversion to a hotel or residential use is not viable, and current feasibility work points toward public use, partnerships with public organizations, and managed workspace or start-up accommodation.
Read the full, original article from Yorkshire Post here.